Firsts
by Charlie'sLostVampire
Summary: "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." The famous line... but what if things had happened differently after it was said? What if Damon hadn't compelled Elena to forget they had met? What if she really had met him first, from the start? AU/R&R?
1. Mysterious Stranger with All the Answers

Elena Gilbert sighed as she hung up her cellphone. Bonnie was right; she was being unfair to Matt. If she didn't want them to be an item anymore, she needed to tell him. Stringing him along was beyond wrong. Hearing a slight gush of air which she assumed to be wind, she looked up. Her heart beat increased a bit with fear when she saw a man standing in front of her in the moonlight.

"Katherine?"

Elena frowned and looked around, assuming he must be talking to someone else. But no; it was only her out here, on the vacant road. Elena's eyes widened a bit as she got a closer look at the man before her. Only her, and this _gorgeous _guy. "Um, no…" she said quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear as her brown eyes shyly moved up to meet what she noticed to be startlingly crystalline blue hues. "I'm Elena."

"Oh…" the man's face seemed to fall a bit, and he looked slightly confused. "You… you just look… I'm sorry; you just really remind me of someone..." He seemed to collect himself quickly, and gave her a smile. "I'm Damon."

Elena felt herself getting a bit uneasy around the stranger, _Damon, _and bit her lip. "Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere."

"You're one to talk," he stated with a smirk, and Elena felt her heart skip a beat. God, he was attractive… "You're out here all by yourself."

"It's Mystic Falls; nothing bad ever happens here," Elena said with a shrug, as though it should be obvious. What was up with this guy?

Damon gave her a slightly skeptical look that she didn't quite understand; what, did he not believe her? Did he know something about the town that she didn't? Sighing, she decided just to tell him; it wasn't like she was ever going to see the guy again. "I got into a fight with my boyfriend."

"About what?" Damon said, and then held up his hand in an apologetic gesture, "May I ask?"

Elena shook her head. "Life, the future… he's got it all mapped out."

"You don't want it?"

Elena shrugged, giving him a small smile. "I don't know what I want."

Damon cocked his head, and that smirk was back again. "Well, that's not true; you want what everybody wants."

Elena couldn't help but grin back, and respond in a slightly playful manner. "What, mysterious stranger who has all the answers?"

Damon gave a small chuckle and looked away from a second before returning his gaze to her. "Let's just say I've been around a long time. I've learned a few things." His grin turned to a look of mock seriousness as he nodded.

Elena grinned. "Well, Damon; tell me. What is it that I want?"

Damon's grin was back again as he took a few steps toward her with each word he spoke. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure… and even a little danger."

It took Elena a few moments to process his words. Maybe it was how close he was now standing (_God, he was hot…_), or maybe it was… the truth in his words. She _did _want all those things. With Matt, it wasn't passionate. It was average and, if anything, growing dull. He wasn't adventurous or exciting; he was your everyday average All American guy. As for danger? The only time Matt was dangerous was when he was trying to cook.

But this guy… _Damon. _Even his _name _was enough to send shivers down her spine. He was gorgeous, and his voice was like velvet… he seemed to radiate danger, and her subconscious was screaming at her to run, but she stayed anchored in place. He was… fascinating.

"So, what do you want?"

Damon seemed a bit floored by her question. "Ahh…."

Elena heard a honk, and saw her parents coming around the corner. "That's my parents," she explained, and gave a tiny gasp when she found his face mere inches from her.

"I want to know you better, Elena," he said with a slight grin playing at his lips. "Maybe I can help show you exactly what you want."

Elena blinked rapidly with surprise at his close proximity, and the power of his words. "I…"

Damon chuckled. "I'll see you around, Elena; have a safe trip home."

She shook her head to clear it. "Wait; I don't even know your last name."

Damon grinned as her parents pulled up beside them. "Salvatore. I'm Damon Salvatore."

Elena grinned. "I'm Elena Gilbert."

"Gilbert?" Damon asked, and blinked a few times with surprise.

Elena opened her mouth to question his reaction, but never got a chance. "Elena, come on! Jeremy and Jenna are waiting for us at home."

"Coming!" she called to her Dad, who was eying them warily.

"So, I guess I'll…" Elena trailed off in confusion and looked around; Damon, the mysterious stranger with all the answers, was nowhere to be seen. "Damon?" she called, looking around. Her father honked the horn again. "Elena! Let's go!"

Sighing, Elena turned and headed for the car, climbing in the backseat. "Sorry; I was talking to someone."

Her mother looked around. "Who, sweetie?"

Elena sighed and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Can we just go home?"

With her momentary distraction now gone, the reality of her argument with Matt was free to return. Slumping back in her seat as she fastened her seatbelt, she proceeded to silently mope as her father pulled back onto the road.

In the shadows of the trees bordering the road, Damon smirked. "Elena Gilbert…" he mused curiously as he watched the car disappear down the road. "Well, Elena, you're in for a world of surprises…"

… . … . … . … . …

"Elena, you should know better than to wait alone out there. Who was that man you were talking to?"

"I don't know, Dad," Elena grumbled from the backseat, keeping her eyes locked on the trees they passed in the darkness.

"Then why in hell were you talking to him, Elena? He could have been a creep!"

"He wasn't a creep, Dad! God, don't be so stupid…"

Grayson turned in his seat, frowning sharply at his daughter in the back as they approached Wickery Bridge. "Don't you talk to me that way, young lady! I don't care if you're seventeen or seven, I can still…!"

"Grayson, look out!" Miranda screamed and Elena and Grayson's eyes flew to the windshield. Grayson gasped as he lost control of the car, sending it skidding along on the bridge.

"Dad!" Elena screamed in terror, clinging to her seat as she was flung around. She screamed even louder as the car flew to the side, smashing through the guard rails of the bridge and plunging off. There was a loud crash as the car was flung into the water below. Elena felt her head smash against the back of the driver's seat, and everything went dark.

… . … . … . … . …

Damon stared up at the stars above as he casually made his way along the road, in search of his midnight snack. There was bound to be someone stupid and naïve wandering up the street between here and the boarding house where he knew Zach would be _thrilled to see him. _He made to cross what he remembered as Wickery Bridge when he frowned deeply. The guard rail was shattered and splintered, shards of wood still on the bridge. He slowly made his way to the side and his eyes widened as he saw the glow of red taillights flickering in the water below. He couldn't help but snort with a small laugh. What was it Elena had just said, merely twenty minutes ago? Oh, yes; _It's Mystic Falls; nothing bad ever happens here._

Finally, the entertainment begins. Grinning lazily, he decided to go have a look at the misfortunate victims of the accident. Tugging off his leather jacket and pulling his black t-shirt over his head, he sat them both on the now splintered guard rain and dove down into the water. The chill was welcome on his skin as he swam over to the cracked windows of the car that was filled with water. Let's see… there was a middle aged woman, likely in her mid to late thirties, who clearly seemed to already be dead. Such a shame… Then there was a man, possibly a few years older, who seemed to still be clinging to consciousness. It was now that Damon realized he was trying to get his attention. He noticed the man pointing to the backseat, and swam curiously to see what all the fuss was about.

The first thing he noticed was the flowing, long brown hair. As it shifted away from her face, he felt a fraction of the breath he had been holding wheeze out in shock. It was _her. _Elena Gilbert. Clearly, she was out cold. He felt conflicted. Should he save her? Did he really care? Sighing, he yanked the door free from the car and swam in, ripping her seat belt in half and grabbing her. The man, Elena's father, looked back at him with a look of gratitude shining in his eyes. Then they glazed over, and Damon knew he was dead.

Swimming to the surface, Damon sucked in a breath and pulled Elena's cold, slumping form over to the bank, lying her down and looking down at her. "Hey, Elena…" he said in a velvet-like voice, brushing a wet lock of hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. He sighed; clearly she wasn't waking up on her own. What the hell? He may as well save her; he had nothing to lose. Careful not to press to hard and risk shattering her ribs, Damon began to push down on her chest in a skilled manner. "Come on, Elena; breath…"

Bending down, he plugged her nose and met her lips with his own, breathing a lung full of air past her cold lips. God, they felt just like Katherine's…

He repeated the action ten more times, until she finally coughed up the water she had breathed in, gasping in a breath of air and coughing.

"Good girl…" Damon said softly and her wide, terrified eyes met his.

"What happened?" she whimpered. "Where am I? Where are my mom and dad…?"

For the first time in what felt like years, he felt a slight pang of sympathy. "You… were in an accident, Elena."

"Where are my parents?" she asked, turning her head frantically as her chest heaved with fear, her eyes growing wider. "Where's my mom and dad…?"

Damon bit his lip as she began to sob. "Hey, just calm down…"

"Where are th-they…?"

He sighed. "Elena… they're gone."

She frowned, not understanding. "What do you mean…?"

He shook his head, not wanting to elaborate. He was the wrong person to tell her this. "Is there anyone I can call?"

"My aunt… she's staying with us… where are my parents?"

Damon scooped the quivering girl up into his arms and started walking back up to the bridge. Elena's eyes widened as she saw the damage. "Oh, my God…"

Slowly, she began to process what Damon was telling her. _She had been in an accident. Her parents were gone…_

"Oh, my God, no…!" she said in a thick voice, starting to sob with horror as she clung to Damon. "No, no, no!"

"Just calm down…" Damon said as they reached the bridge and he pulled his cellphone out of his jacket pocket. "What's your home phone number?"

"No! No, my parents! We have to save them…!"

"Elena!" Damon said firmly as he attempted to hold her with one arm. "Tell me your phone number."

"My parents! You have to save them, too!"

Giving a low snarl of irritation, he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, gazing into her eyes. "_Tell me your phone number._"

Her hysterics subsided as silent tears trailed down her cheeks. "434-3734…"

Dialing the number, Damon sat Elena down on the bridge so she was sitting down, pulling his shirt over his head and grabbing his jacket, wrapping it around her quivering shoulders absentmindedly. Finally, a woman answered.

"Hello?"

"Are you Elena Gilbert's aunt?"

There was a pause on the other end before the woman replied, "Yes… I'm Jenna Sommers. Why?"

"Elena and her parents have been in a car accident. I was able to save her, but her parents are dead."

There was an even longer pause before the woman responded in an acid like, icy tone, "Is this some kind of sick joke? Who the hell do you think you are…!"

"I think I'm the man who just saved your niece from downing! They drove off Wickery Bridge and plunged into the water. Her parents drowned, and I could only save Elena. Now, I suggest you call the police to come and get the other two out of the car; I'm taking Elena to the hospital."

With that, he hung up and shoved his phone carelessly into his wet pants pocket. "Come on; you need to see a doctor."

Elena was huddled in his jacket, shivering and sobbing quietly. She didn't look up at him when he spoke. Sighing, Damon knelt beside her and tilted her chin up. "I'm sorry, okay? It was too late for me to save them. Your father wanted me to save you, so I did. There was nothing more I could do."

She shook her head. "They can't be dead… they just can't be…"

"Come on, Elena; we need to get you looked at. Okay?"

She shook her head again, and he frowned. "Elena, I'm taking you one way or another. Police will come and get your parents. You can either come with me willingly, or I can make this very unpleasant for both of us."

Whimpering, she shakily stood up, falling forward on her quivering limbs and crashing into his chest, bursting into sobs again. Damon sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "It's going to be okay," he whispered, picking her up again and continuing to walk toward the hospital. He let her cry into his chest, unable to compel her to stop. For once, compulsion just didn't seem right. If there was anything this girl needed right now, it was a good cry.


	2. Darkness All Around

_**A/N: Just a quick note; I'm posting this chapter two hours early for a reason. A very epic reason. Her name is Georgia. If you don't know her, then it sucks to be you; you're missing out on Twinneh Epicness! ;)**_

Elena woke up, her senses all groggy. She could hear faint beeping, and strained to sit up, her eyes snapping open when someone eased her back down.

"Mom…?"

"No, Elena… it's Jenna."

The tone of voice her aunt possessed made Elena frown. Why did it sound like she was crying? What was going on…?

Forcing her eyes open, Elena locked onto her aunt, who's eyes were red rimmed and puffy. She noted that they were in a hospital room, and she was hooked up to an IV that was dripping something into her veins. Had she been in some sort of cheerleading accident tonight? Where were her parents? Home with Jeremy?

"Elena… there was an accident."

Slowly, Elena nodded nonchalantly. "Did I fall from the top of the pyramid again?"

Jenna's brow furrowed in confusion. "No, Elena… a serious accident. You don't remember…?"

"Remember what? What's going on?"

More tears formed and leaked from Jenna's eyes. "Oh, Elena… it's your mom and dad. You were in a car crash, and drove off Wickery Bridge…"

Elena gave a small gasp. "Oh, my God… where is Mom and Dad? Are they okay?"

Jenna started to cry harder as she shook her head. "No, Elena, they aren't. They were both pronounced dead on the scene."

Elena heard nothing else after those words. She knew her aunt was prattling on about some stranger saving herself, but being unable to save her mother and father… but she couldn't seem to listen. They weren't dead. Grayson and Miranda Gilbert couldn't be dead. They just couldn't be…

"This isn't funny, Jenna; knock it off," Elena said, frowning.

"Funny?" Jenna wheezed. "Nothing about this is funny! Elena, your little brother is down in the _morgue _right now, being shown his dead parents! Do you think _that's _funny?"

"Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying!" Jenna screamed. "Your parents are dead! My big sister is dead…!"

A doctor came in when she heard Jenna becoming hysterical, and quickly lead her from the room, shutting the heavy door behind her. Elena was left alone in the cold, silent room to process what she had heard. A car crash… Wickery Bridge… her parents… dead… Jeremy… morgue…

No. No, she wouldn't believe it…

She looked up again when the doctor returned, looking sympathetic. "I'm sorry about that, Miss Gilbert; your aunt was supposed to ease the news on you when you woke, but clearly she's still too shaken up…"

"I want to see my parents," Elena said quietly. "I need to know that Jenna was lying."

"Lying?" The doctor frowned. "Sweetheart, your aunt wasn't lying. You were in a terrible car accident; one your parents tragically didn't make it out of. It's a miracle that you did. Had it not been for that man who brought you in…"

"Man?" Elena asked, her mind grasping the only piece of information that didn't terrify her. "What man?"

The doctor shook her head, her black hair shaking a bit. "Nobody knows who he was. He whisked you in, put you on a gurney and said what your condition was, and to tend to you. Then he was gone."

"What did he look like?"

"Miss Gilbert, I really think that's the least of your concerns right now. If you want to see your parents, I'll arrange for someone to wheel you down, but I'm afraid it's going to be hard to witness."

Elena shook her head. "Why? They aren't dead; Jenna is crazy…"

"Elena, your aunt isn't crazy. You're in a state of denial, which will pass soon enough. Until then, I don't think it's a good idea to see your parents."

"I want to see my parents! They aren't dead! I need to see that they aren't dead!"

"Miss Gilbert, I'm sorry, but they are…"

"They aren't dead! My parents aren't dead!"

"Elena, please…"

"_THEY AREN'T DEAD…!_"

The doctor was talking to a nurse rapidly while Elena became hysterical, and the nurse quickly came in and put a needle in Elena's IV. Instantaniously, Elena calmed, and drifted off to sleep.

"Poor girl…" the nurse said, tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear as she disgarded the needle.

The doctor nodded. "A real shame. Grayson worked here for years, you know; that his daughter, Elena."

The nurse gasped. "It was Grayson Gilbert who was killed?"

The doctor nodded as they exited Elena's room. "Yes; he and his wife, Miranda. The wife's sister and their son are down with them now. The poor kid is a mess; doesn't know what to think."

"A shame," the nurse nodded. "A real shame…"

… . … . … . … . …

Zach Salvatore sighed as he looked at the massive wall of books. He was so tempted to just be rid of them; get a new collection. No one who stayed here ever read them; they were all too old, musty, and boring. That is, _when _people stayed her; evidently, there was something off-putting about the Salvatore Boarding House.

Zach, finally deciding to go through with the task, had been reaching for the first book when he heard the front door quietly open. Frowning, he assumed that it may be Lacy, the girl who helped with housekeeping. But why would she be here so late?

"Lacy? Is that you?"

No response. He cringed when he heard a gush of air nearby. A gush he was all too familiar with.

"Who's there?"

Quietly, he reached for the sharpened stake he always kept hidden in the woodpile by the fireplace.

Another gush of air. Then another; and another. It was getting closer.

"Show yourself!" Zach yelled, and he gasped when the stake was pulled from his grasp, snapped, and tossed into the burning fireplace. He cringed when his eyes locked with a terrifyingly familiar pair of light blue that had haunted him since childhood.

"Now, now, Zach; is that really any way to greet your Uncle Damon?"

"What are you doing here?" Zach spat with hatred; he couldn't stand Damon. He was cruel, impulsive, and left a trail of destruction in his wake wherever he went.

Damon shrugged. "Can't I come visit family ever decade or so?"

"No, you can't," Zach said angrily. "Whenever you go somewhere, it's because you want something. What is it?"

"Hey, do you know Elena Gilbert?"

Zach froze as he watched Damon toss his jacket on the couch and walk casually over to the liquor cart, predictably pouring himself a glass of bourbon. _Oh, no…_

"Why?" Zach asked, wishing he still had that stake for the attack that was obviously soon inevitable.

"I just find it interesting that she's a living, breathing copy of Katherine, and you, my dear nephew," he pointed a slender finger at Zach, "Failed to tell me about her."

"Well, you don't exactly send me phone calls every other week, now do you? This is the first time you've been here since I was fifteen."

Damon shrugged. "What was stopping you from calling me?"

"I don't know your phone number."

Damon shrugged. "Fair enough. Now that I'm here; tell me about her."

Zach sighed. "There's nothing to tell. She's an average high school junior, cheerleader, and _innocent human girl. _Leave her alone, Damon."

"Leave her alone?" Damon asked, sauntering over with his bourbon. "Now, I'm not so sure that's such a good idea."

"How the hell do you figure _that?_"

"Well, how about this? If not for me, she'd be dead right now."

Zach blinked, clearly taken off guard by this. "What…?"

"Her parents car went off Wickery Bridge. Parents are dead; drowned. I got her out. Took her to the hospital."

"Grayson and Miranda are dead?" Zach asked in quiet disbelief.

"Mmm-hm," Damon nodded, uncaring, as he took a sip of his drink.

"Why didn't you do something?" Zach cried, furious.

Damon rolled his eyes. "The mother, _Miranda, _was already dead when I got there. _Grayson _was as good as dead, and kept pointing to the back, telling me to save Elena. So I did. End of story. Now, tell me about her. Why does she look like Katherine?"

"How should I know?" Zach yelled, still furious that his uncle had just let Grayson and Miranda Gilbert die. Hell, he'd likely have let Elena drown, too, if she hadn't looked just like _her. _

"Because, Zach," Damon said, gesturing to the wall of books Zach had just been about to get rid of. "You have this nifty wall of books. Surely there's _something _in there about clones."

Zach mumbled something under his breath, and Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm?"

"I said, I've never read them," Zach repeated, and Damon's eyebrows shot up.

"You've lived in this house your entire life, and you haven't read a single one of my books?"

Zach's expression was purely bored now. "No. In fact, I was just about to get rid of them. They stink, and I need to get more customers in here."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Damon shook his head, taking another swig of bourbon.

"Why is that?" Zach snapped.

"Because," Damon said with an uncustomary, unsettlingly cheerful grin. "I plan on staying here a while."

… . … . … . … . …

"And on this day, we say goodbye to a loving mother and father, a sister and a brother, a daughter and a son, a brilliant real-estate agent and an intelligent, charming doctor. Miranda and Grayson Gilbert shall never be forgotten, and shall always live on in our hearts. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in the Lord's name, Amen."

"Amen," the crowd of people, all dressed in black chorused as they stood around the two coffins, being lowered into the ground. Tears trailed down Elena's face as she turned and hugged her uncle John, who stood with an arm around Jeremy, who looked more moody than usual. Silent tears were trailing down his face, his unruly brown hair wet at its tips.

Quietly, everyone made their way up and placed flowers of all kinds on the two wooden coffins, and final goodbyes were said. John then led Elena and Jeremy away from the over whelming crowd.

"Elena,"

Jumping slightly at the sound of her name being called by a rather unfamiliar voice, Elena turned her head to the side. A man was walking over to him, and she recognized his dark, messy black hair and piercing blue eyes instantly. It was _him. _She faintly remembered him saving her and taking her to the hospital, but that had been the last she had seen of him. That had been nearly two weeks ago.

"Damon…" she whispered as he reached them, decked out in an entirely black suit. He looked more sympathetic than she remembered him being the night of the accident. But then, he had just saved a girl from drowning, and had been forced to tell her that her parents were dead. He had obviously been rather stressed.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said, and his eyes moved from her to John and Jeremy. "All of you. I lost both of my parents as well, and I know how hard it is."

John was frowning. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you, exactly?"

"I'm Damon," he said, offering his hand. "Damon Salvatore."

John eyed the rather bulky ring on Damon's finger as he accepted his hand and shook it.

"Uncle John, Damon is the man who saved my life the night of the accident," Elena said quietly, and Jeremy's eyes snapped to attention.

"That was you?" he snapped, and then cried, "Why the hell didn't you save my parents, too? What the fuck is wrong with you…?"

"Jeremy!" Elena gasped in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing. John shook his head as Jeremy tossed his arm away and stalked off on his own.

"Give me a minute?" John asked, and Elena nodded as he walked off after Jeremy, calling his name.

"I am so sorry," Elena said, her eyes nervously roaming back to Damon. "He's just so upset… all of this is hard for him. He's only fourteen…"

"Don't worry about it," Damon said, nodding. "I was the same way when my mother died. I blamed everyone in the world, because it was the only way I could make myself feel better."

Elena swallowed hard and nodded, looking down. She gave a small gasp when Damon tilted her chin up, his stunning blue eyes searching around in her brown orbs. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, and she shook her head as more tears leaked from her eyes.

"No," she croaked. "No, I'm not…"

Damon sighed softly and dropped his hand. "I am sorry I couldn't save them, Elena," he said, in a nearly pleading tone. "You have to believe me…"

"No, I do," she said, nodding with reassurance through her tears. "I just… it's a lot to handle…"

"I know," Damon sighed, putting his hands in his suit jacket pocket, fishing around until he came across a silky black handkerchief, passing it to her. Elena eyed it with slight surprise; _what kind of a man kept silky pocket hankies in their suit jackets? _Clearly, Damon Salvatore did. Dabbing her eyes, she gave him a weak smile.

"Thank you…"

"Don't mention it," Damon replied simply, giving her a small, charming smile. "If there's anything you need, I wanted you to know that I'm staying at the Salvatore Boarding House. My uncle runs the place."

"Zach Salvatore is your uncle?" she asked, sniffling, surprised.

Damon nodded; so she _did _know Zach.

"Yes, he is," Damon said. "Do you know him well?"

Elena shook her head. "No, not really. My mom visited him a few times, wondering if he would ever be willing to sell the boarding house, and I would go with her. It's amazing," she said, giving him a tiny smile.

Damon grinned. "It is. Zach wants to redecorate…"

"No!" Elena gasped, and then blushed. "I mean… I like it the way it is…"

Damon gave a small chuckle. "So do I. I like the authentic, antique look. I always have."

_Because I designed it, _a voice in Damon's mind whispered, and he repressed the urge to smirk.

"Me too," Elena said, smiling curiously at him as she wiped her eyes again, and then offered him is hankie.

"Oh, no," Damon shook his head, smiling, holding up his hands. "You keep it." He smiled softly. "I think you'll need it far more than I will."

Elena gave him a weak smile. "Thank you… for coming. You didn't have to…"

"I felt I owed you this much," Damon said softly, and Elena looked up at him in surprise. "You owe me? Oh, no… I owe you! You saved my life, Damon…"

Damon smiled and shook his head. "I couldn't just let you down, Elena. Anyone would have done it."

"Elena, we need to get back to the house…" Jenna had come up and grabbed Elena's elbow, but she trailed off and her eyes widened when she caught sight of Damon. Beautiful, charming Damon… "Uh… hi," she said, flushing a bit.

"Umm… Aunt Jenna, this is Damon Salvatore. He saved me the night of the crash."

Jenna's eyes widened even more as she shook his hand. "That was you?" she asked, and he nodded. "Oh, we can't thank you enough for saving Elena, truly…"

Damon smiled. "No thanks are necessary, Miss Sommers." He glanced at Elena. "I'm really sorry, but I can't stay. I have a few things I need to do…"

"Oh, don't be sorry…" Elena shook her head. "Thank you for coming."

He smiled and dropped Jenna's hand, gently taking her own and bringing it to his lips. "If you need anything, you know where I am," he said softly, placing a gently kiss to her knuckles before releasing her and turning, walking down the hill toward a light blue Camaro.

Jenna released a breath when he was gone. "_Wow…_" she breathed, and Elena blushed. "_He _is the guy who saved you?"

Elena nodded as they started down the hill toward Jenna's car. "Yeah, he is."

"Are you sure he isn't an angel?"

Elena blushed more. "What do you mean?"

"Just looked at him, Elena; he's _gorgeous!_"

Elena shook her head as she climbed in the passenger seat of Jenna's car. "Let's just go home, okay?" she tossed a glance back up the hill at the piles of dirt and felt her stomach clench. "I need to get away from here."

… . … . … . … . …

"Zach, I'm home!" Damon yelled as he walked into the boarding house, tossing his keys on the small table by the front door. "Why the hell weren't you at the funeral? Elena says you were friends with Miranda."

Damon couldn't help but smirk when he said her name; he knew how much it would annoy Zach that he had spoken to her again. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and grinned. "You know, it really is rude…"

He trailed off when he locked eyes with a young blonde girl instead of his idiot nephew. "Who the hell are you?" he asked her, and she flushed.

"Umm…. I'm Lacy," she said, holding up a feather duster. "I keep the house tidy while Zach is away sometimes. Can I help you? Do you need a room?"

Damon snorted. "I live here, _Lacy._"

She frowned, her red lip-glossed lips pursing slightly. "Who are you, exactly?"

"_Damon Salvatore,_" he said, for what felt like the thousandth time lately.

Lacy blushed. "Oh; another Salvatore. Zach didn't mention he had family visiting…"

"He probably didn't expect you to run into me," Damon said, and plastered on his most charming smile as he made his way over to her. "Where are my manners? It's lovely to meet you, Lacy," he said with a dashing grin, lowering his eyelids slightly as his blue eyes smoldered.

Lacy felt herself nearly go weak in the knees. Dear God, he was sexy. How had Zach failed to mention that a sexy cousin or relative who could be compared to a Greek god was staying with him? "Likewise," she said with a faint blush creeping to her cheeks. "Can I… get you anything?" she asked, and he grinned.

"Oh, you could get me a lot of things, Lacy. I'm particularly hungry, though," he said, taking her feather duster and tossing it carelessly aside. Her eyes widened and her blush spread.

"Oh…."

He licked his lips. "You see, Lacy…" he moved so he was standing flush against her. "I haven't eaten all day. I had a funeral to attend."

"Can I, umm… get you something…?" she whispered, repressing the groan of yearning that was threatening to emerge as the muscles in her belly clenched. He was so _hot…_

"Mmm… yes, you can," he smirked, placing his hands on her hips, her hypersensitive skin tingling below her satin pink shirt. She gasped as she felt his nose trail up her neck, and his lips begin to pepper kisses down her throat. "You could get me so, so many things, Lacy…" he purred, and she shivered.

"Whatever you want, you can have…" she whispered huskily.

"Good…" Damon whispered, slipping a hand up her shirt and grinning as he cupped her breast. "Because I want one thing in particular…"

"Oh…" Lacy groaned, her eyes fluttering she; she had a fairly decent idea what this man wanted from her. "What, Damon…"

Damon chuckled. "Your blood…" he muttered, and she felt her heartbeat pick up. He wanted her blood… wait. What…?

Lacy didn't even have time to scream. Before she could make a sound, Damon had sunk sharp, pointed fangs into her jugular vein and was feeding hungrily on every drop of her life essence. Twenty minutes later, he let the girl drop carelessly to the ground.

"There," he said with a smirk, licking his lips of the last few drops of her blood. He heard the door open, and knew Zach was home. "Hey, Zach?" he called, grinning even more. "I think Lacy missed a spot."


	3. The Crow

The house was so quiet. Elena hated it. She hated the fact that Jeremy stayed locked up in his bedroom even more than he used to. She hated the fact that he was obviously smoking even more, but she was just too wrapped up in her own loneliness to do anything about it. She also hated the fact that Jenna had been ripped away from her own carefree life to take on herself and Jeremy, as their legal guardian.

She hated being such a burden; to her family, to her friends; everyone. But what could she do about it? Sighing, Elena forced herself to get out of bed and walk over to her dresser, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked awful, with dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, as a result of nightmare filled sleepless nights. She pushed her messy, long brown locks out of her eyes and shook her head, turning to walk into the bathroom.

Gasping, she stumbled back a few steps and nearly shrieked. Sitting on the windowsill of her open window was a _massive, _sleek black crow with feathers with blue tints, a curved black beak, and piercing black eyes. It cawed loudly when she noticed it and Elena cowered against her dresser. She had been about to scream for Jenna when, unprovoked, the bird flew off with a loud flap of wings. After a few hesitant seconds, Elena ran over to the window. The bird was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she had imagined it? Shaking her head, she walked into her bathroom to prepare for what would obviously be yet another hellish day.

… . … . … . … . …

"What do you two have planned for today?" Jenna asked, trying to be cheerful as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Wallowing in misery and self-pity?" Jeremy grumbled moodily, expressionless, flicking through songs on his iPod.

Elena sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I was going to go to the library…"

"Why don't you call Bonnie and ask her to go, too? You two haven't spoken in ages…"

Elena shook her head. "If I call Bonnie, she's going to ask me the same things she does every time I see her these days. 'How are you?', 'Are you dealing okay?', 'Want me to come stay with you for a few days?'" Sighing, Elena shook her head once again. "It's smothering. It was bad enough when I broke up with Matt and she wouldn't leave my side… But it's been nearly three months. I just… want to get back to normal before the school year starts…"

"Before the school year starts?" Jeremy snapped. "Our parents are _dead! _You can't just go back to _normal…!_"

"Jeremy!" Jenna snapped, and he glared, slumping in his seat.

Elena swallowed hard and closed her eyes before standing up. "I'm just going to go to the library, okay? I'll be back later…"

"Elena…" Jenna protested, but didn't stop her when she quickly stood up and rushed out.

… . … . … . … . …

Attempting to stop the embarrassing flow of tears streaming continuously down her cheeks, Elena rounded the corner, half way to her destination. She had been about to cross the street when she froze; there it was. _That damn crow again!_ Biting her lip, she stared at it; it was perched on the street sign, looking directly at her. _A crow was staring at her! _

Frowning, she tentatively took a step onto the crosswalk. As she did so, the crow ruffled its feathers. Slowly, Elena took another step so she was standing on the beginning of the white crossing stripes. When she did, the crow leaned forward slightly, seeming to narrow its eyes. Elena shivered and began to cross the street, trying to ignore it. She had made it only half way across when the bird gave a loud _caw_ and flew from its perch, flying straight at her. Everything that happened next happened so fast, it was still all a blur to her.

Elena had gasped, her eyes going wide as they locked on the bird. She was only vaguely aware that she had stopped moving in the middle of the road, and didn't notice the car speeding toward her. She whipped her head around when the driver laid on his horn, and a terrified scream caught in her throat as she stood, paralyzed.

"_Holy shit!_"

Screaming loudly, Elena cringed as the impact came. But it wasn't the impact of the bone-shattering car, or the claws of the ravenous bird. Instead, she found herself being flung at a surprising speed across the street and landing on the sidewalk with a hard thud, a heavy figure on top of her.

She gasped as her back hit the concrete of the sidewalk and all of the breath gushed out of her lungs. When she finally inhaled again sharply, her senses were overwhelmed with the intoxicating scent of leather and musky cologne. Opening her wide doe eyes, she found herself staring up into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. The most beautiful _familiar _blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Damon…?" she gasped out and his eyes seemed to soften slightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking down at her with what seemed to be concern.

"There was a crow…" Elena croaked and Damon frowned.

"A crow? What do you mean?"

"A _crow_," Elena repeated. "It flew at me from that sign while I was crossing the street…"

Damon glanced at the street sign Elena pointed to, and then looked around. "Well, I think it's safe now…"

Carefully, he moved off of her and offered her his hand, helping her sit up. Her eyes fell out of focus when she did so, and she wobbled slightly.

"Whoa…" Damon said, catching her before she could fall back again. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Elena nodded. "Just… a bit dizzy…"

Sighing, Damon helped her stand. "Do you need help getting home, Elena?"

As much as Elena wanted to do anything but go back home, she knew it was probably the best thing she could do at the moment. So, weakly, she nodded. "Please…"

Before she could protest, Damon, once again, scooped the fragile human girl up into his arms and started back across the street.

"Where do you live, Elena?" he asked her, and she quietly gave him the address, leaning her head on his chest. He smelled so good… _so _good… musky but sweet, spicy but woodsy; how was it possible for a single man to smell so… _good?_

Damon couldn't help the smirk that pulled at his lips as he walked down the street; she was trying to very inconspicuously sniff him. Poor girl; she was nearly hooked on him already.

As Damon rounded the corner to Elena's street, though Elena didn't notice, Damon tossed a sly grin up at the large crow that was circling in the sky above.

… . … . … . … . …

"This is it?" Damon asked Elena softly as he reached her house, and she nodded.

"Yes…"

Walking up the steps, he hesitated at the door before knocking. He heard footsteps a few seconds later, and then the door was opened to reveal a much frazzled looking Jenna. She gasped when she saw the sight before her. "Oh, my gosh! What happened?"

Damon sighed. "She nearly got hit by a car; she's pretty shaken up. Can I come in?"

Jenna nodded rapidly. "Yes! God; yes, come in!"

Damon smiled politely at her, but was doing a dance of success inside; he had scored an invitation inside. Entering the house, he walked toward the staircase and Jenna quickly led him up to Elena's bedroom.

"Elena, sweetie, are you okay?" Jenna asked when Damon laid her down on her bed, sitting on the edge beside her.

"I'll be fine," Elena nodded. "I'm just a bit dizzy…"

Jenna frowned. "Maybe I should take you to see a doctor…"

"No!" Elena cried, and her voice broke. "No, I don't want to go back to that place; please, please no…"

Sighing, Jenna nodded, "Fine." Turning to Damon, she gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Damon; for saving her, again."

He grinned. "Don't mention it." Standing up, he smiled down at Elena. "Maybe I should be your personal body guard."

Elena gave a small laugh. "Yeah, maybe you should."

Chuckling, he shook his head. "I'll see you around," he said, moving to leave the room.

"Oh; Damon?" Jenna called after him, and he turned at the door.

"Yes?"

"I heard about what happened to Lacy Smith; your uncle's friend? An animal attack; I'm so sorry."

Damon gave a soft smile of mock sympathy. "Thank you; it was awful. They say her throat was nearly ripped out."

Elena gave a small gasp of shock from her bed. "That's _awful!_"

Damon nodded.

"Well, I've heard that Zach has been a bit… distant, since it happened?" Jenna prodded. "So, I was thinking, maybe… you'd like to join us for dinner this week? Since you are Elena's guardian angel, after all."

Damon chuckled. "Oh, I'm no angel."

Jenna grinned. "Just the same; would you want to?"

Damon seemed to think it over, and then nodded. "I'd love to. Which day?"

"How does Thursday sound?"

Grinning, Damon nodded. "Thursday sounds perfect."

With another mega-watt smile, Damon left Elena's bedroom and headed outside.

… . … . … . … . …

"I know I should have been more careful, Bon… yes, it was lucky he was there… _yes, he's insanely hot…_"

Elena paced around her bedroom late that night with the phone to her ear, the room dimly lit by only the orange glow of her bedside lamp. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she grinned. "Black hair, blue eyes, perfect body… no, I can't ask him out!" she giggled at Bonnie's suggestion, and grabbed her teddy bear, snuggling it into her chest as she talked.

"Because," she explained at Bonnie's protest on the other end, "I have no idea how old he is, or where he even moved from."

"_So ask him!_" Bonnie said, and Elena sighed.

"I… don't know if I can. Matt… it would hurt him if I jumped into another relationship so soon."

Elena knew Bonnie would be rolling her eyes. "_He'd get over it, Elena; all Matt wants is for you to be happy again. It's killed us all to see you this way._"

Sighing, Elena lied back in her pillows, staring at the ceiling. "I know… but he'd never go for me, Bonnie. He's this gorgeous, brave, amazing guy and I'm just… some stupid, clumsy girl who lost her parents."

"_Elena, he won't see you like that. If he's as amazing as you seem to think he is, he'll give you a chance._"

Elena shook her head, but couldn't help smiling at her best friend's words. "I guess you're right. Plus, if I wait too long, Caroline might pounce on him."

"_Care? Actually, she met some other guy today,_" Bonnie said, and Elena sat up straighter with curiosity.

"She did? Who?"

"_I can't remember what she said his name was. Apparently he's really sweet, though._"

"Sweet, or sweet in bed?" Elena asked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"_I dunno. I'll have to ask her,_" Bonnie said with a laugh, and Elena grinned, shaking her head.

"_Shoot,_" Bonnie mumbled suddenly. "_My dad is yelling at me to call Grams. I'll talk to you later, okay?_"

"Okay," Elena nodded, and hung up after saying a final goodbye. Flicking off her light, she climbed into bed and quickly fell into an exhausted sleep. So quickly, in fact, that she never noticed the crow sitting on the tree branch outside her window, watching her through its dark eyes.

Nor did she notice the glittering pair of blue gazing at her beside them.

… . … . … . … . …

As soon as Damon walked back into the boarding house, he knew something was off. "Hey, Zach?" he called, dropping his keys on the table and walking toward the parlor, his footsteps echoing through the enormous house.

"I see you're finally back,"

Damon turned to see Zach coming upstairs from the basement, and nodded. "Yeah, I am."

Zach frowned deeply. "Where have you been all day, Damon?"

Damon glared. "Why is that any of your business, _Zach?_"

"Because," Zach snapped, "We have a visitor."

"And just who might that be?" Damon scoffed. "Another pretty maid for me to munch on?"

"Guess again," Zach said bitterly, and Damon opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off.

"Hello, Damon. It's been a while."

Whirling, Damon's eyes widened.

"Oh, fuck no; not _you._"


	4. So this is Love

_Previously in "Firsts"…_

"_Because," Zach snapped, "We have a visitor."_

"_And just who might that be?" Damon scoffed. "Another pretty maid for me to munch on?"_

"_Guess again," Zach said bitterly, and Damon opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off._

"_Hello, Damon. It's been a while."_

_Whirling, Damon's eyes widened._

"_Oh, fuck no; not __**you**__."_

… . … . … . … . … . … . … . …

"What's the matter, Damon? Not happy to see me?"

Damon glared at his little brother, his narrowed blue eyes locking with narrowed green. "Why would I be happy to see you, _Stefan?_ What are you even doing here?"

Stefan raised a brown eyebrow at his brother's question. "I could ask you the same thing. You see, Zach here filled me in on a few of the things that have happened since you arrived…"

Damon scoffed. "If this is about that stupid maid, Lucy…"

"It was _Lacy,_" Zach spat, "And she wasn't just a stupid maid, Damon, she was a person! You can't just go around killing people!"

Rolling his eyes, Damon walked over to the liquor cart, pouring himself a bourbon. "Oh? Just who is going to stop me? Surely not you, Stefan, since I assume you're still on the Thumper and Bambi diet?"

Stefan glared at his brother as he nonchalantly sipped at his drink, his brow creasing. "I could take you…"

Damon laughed. "Ahh, that's rich, Stef. Thanks for the laugh. Anyway, if this little 'No more nomming on the towns folk' meeting is over, I'm just going to head up to bed…"

"Elena."

Damon had turned and begun to walk up the stairs when he froze at the name that passed through his brother's lips. Turning slowly, he frowned. "What about her?"

"Well, she looks just Katherine, doesn't she? Isn't that why you've been paying attention to her?"

Damon narrowed his eyes. "How would you have even the slightest inkling of my plans for Elena?"

"Easy; you have none. Because, if you do, Zach and I will end you. She's an innocent girl, Damon; leave her out of your twisted Katherine fantasies."

"Oh, you mean so _you _can snatch her up, pee on her and mark her as your own? Yeah; not likely, _brother._"

Stefan's eyes narrowed more. "Leave her alone, Damon."

"You see, Stefan, I don't really want to. In fact, I was invited to dinner at her house by her _lovely _aunt Jenna this Thursday, and I don't plan on missing it. After all; I _did _save her life."

Stefan glared. "Just do us all a favor, Damon, and _leave._"

Snorting, Damon continued up the stairs. "No, Stefan; why don't you make things easier for _me _and leave?"

Glaring, Stefan blurred after his brother, fangs exposed and snarling, only to be flung to the side into the wall, crashing down to the floor below while Damon sneered furiously. "Don't _ever _do that again," he snapped, storming up the rest of the stairs and into his room, slamming his bedroom door.

Zach hurried over to Stefan's side, eyes wide. "Stefan, you need to do something. Elena Gilbert can't be around Damon; you need to protect her."

Groaning slightly as he stood, Stefan nodded. "I know; he just proved it. Don't worry, I have it all worked out. Damon won't touch her."

… . … . … . … . … . …

The rest of the week passed fairly quietly; Damon kept the attacks on the down low, too busy preparing his plans for Thursday night. Stefan was staying as far away from his brother as possible, busy working on plans of his own. As for Zach; well, the human Salvatore just wished that both brothers would get the hell out of town, and stay out.

When Thursday finally arrived, Jenna was a mess. She could hardly cook to begin with; why on Earth had she invited the man who saved her niece's life over for _dinner? _

"Jenna, whatever that is, it smells like shit," Jeremy complained as he stalked down the stairs, and Jenna glared.

"It's supposed to be roast beef…" she grumbled as she examined the charred lump of meat in the pan. Shaking her head, she put the pan on the counter and started to attempt to scrape off the burnt edges. Both she and Jeremy looked up from the dish when the sound of heels clicked on the staircase, and Elena walked into the kitchen, far too dolled up for dinner.

"How do I look?" she asked, doing a little twirl for them. At the moment, she was decked out in a knee length royal blue cocktail dress, diamond stud earrings, matching blue strappy stilettos, and her hair was straightened, falling loose down her back.

"Do you _want _this guy to screw you, Elena?" Jeremy asked, and Elena flushed scarlet.

"_Jeremy…!_"

Jenna swatted Jeremy's arm, giving Elena a warm smile. "You look beautiful, Elena. Don't listen to your brother; he's just jealous that he didn't get all dolled up for our guest."

Jeremy snorted. "Yeah; I'm totally gonna go all out for this random _Salvabore_ guy who wouldn't even try to save my parents…"

Elena frowned at his words; Jeremy just wouldn't let that go. Of course, she couldn't, either, but the difference was that she knew it wasn't Damon's fault. Jeremy seemed perfectly content with blaming the entire accident on him.

"Behave yourself while he's here," she snapped at him; she honestly did like Damon, and didn't want him turned off on her just because of something her silly little brother had said.

Jeremy rolled his eyes, stalking out of the kitchen. "Whatever, Elena…"

Elena was about to go after him when the doorbell rang, making her jump. "Oh, God, that's him," she said, swallowing hard and turning to Jenna. "You're sure I look okay?"

"You look perfect," Jenna encouraged her. "I just wish I could say the same about dinner…"

Giving her aunt a sympathetic smile, Elena headed out to the front door, biting her lip for a moment before pulling it open and smiling. "Hey, I…! Oh, _wow…_"

Damon chuckled at Elena's reaction. He was standing at her door with a dozen red roses for her, dressed in a mock formal suit; a simple black button down under a dark suit jacket, dark jeans, and shined black boots. "You look gorgeous," he said silkily, pressing the flowers into her hands.

Elena's cheeks flushed brilliantly at his compliment, and she smiled softly at him from beneath her lashes. "Thank you, Damon…" Glancing down at the flowers, she blushed more. "You didn't have to do this…"

"Sure I did," he said, and then glanced behind her for a second. "Can I… come in?"

"Oh!" Elena stepped aside, flushing even more. "I'm so sorry; of course! Please, come in…"

Chuckling, he stepped over the threshold, leaning over to press a small kiss to her cheek. "There's no need to be nervous around me, Elena; I won't bite."

For some reason, Elena couldn't help but feel his eyes were laughing at some kind of private joke, but she shook her head. "Right; um… dinner really isn't much. Jenna seemed to have forgotten she can't cook to save her life…"

"I heard that!" Jenna called from the kitchen, and Damon grinned as they walked in, Elena walking over to get a vase for the roses, and Damon walking over to stand beside Jenna and the rather pitiful excuse for dinner.

"You know, I'm actually a fairly decent cook. I'd be more than happy to whip something up if you want…"

Jenna blushed. "I couldn't ask you to do that; you're our guest…"

"Nonsense," Damon said, grinning. "I'd be more than happy to lend you a hand. It seems only fitting that, since I tend to save your family members, I may as well save us all from food poisoning."

Had anyone else said that to Jenna, she likely would have been _very _offended. But, with Damon giving her that charming smile, and his baby blues glittering…

"How sweet of you," Jenna said with a small giggle. Elena smiled appreciatively at Damon, and then tossed her aunt a look that said, _Could you please leave us alone?_

"Right; Elena, why don't you show Damon where everything is? I'll go check on Jeremy."

Elena smiled. "Of course," she said, and Jenna walked out of the kitchen in search of her MIA nephew.

"So, what are we making?" Elena asked, smiling warmly as she looked to Damon for instruction.

"_We _are not making anything," Damon said with a grin. "_I _am going to make traditional Italian lasagna, just like my mother used to make, and you are going to relax and watch." Opening the fridge and taking out a package of grated cheese, Damon's brow furrowed. "Or, maybe not so traditional."

Shrugging, he went to work, putting the noodles Elena got out for him into a pot of water on the stove.

"So, your mother was Italian?" she asked curiously, and he shook his head as he started to mix the sauce.

"No; no, she was French. My father was Italian, so my mother felt obligated to learn all of his customary dishes."

"What do your parents do, Mr. Salvatore?" Elena asked with a playful grin. "CEOs? Restaurant owners? Something glamorous?"

"Ummm… no," Damon said, biting his lip as he shook his head. "My parents are both dead."

Elena's eyes widened with shock, and she blushed at her own stupidity. "Oh, Damon, I'm so sorry; I had no idea…"

Damon gave her a small, crooked smile and shook his head. "Don't apologize, Elena; my parents have been dead for years. You didn't know."

She gave him a tiny smile in return, but couldn't help the reawakening of the pang of loss in her stomach at the mention of losing parents. Damon noticed the shift in her mood, and frowned a bit.

"You okay?" he asked, and she quickly brushed away the tears that had formed in her eyes.

"Yeah," she nodded, sniffling slightly, her voice breaking when she spoke, "I'm fine…"

"Elena," Damon said, walking over and cupping her cheek in his hand, brushing away her tears with his thumb. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you…"

"No, no you didn't…" Elena shook her head, looking down. She shivered slightly as his knuckles brushed her cheek, and was forced to look into his eyes when he tilted her chin up.

"I know what you're going through, Elena," he said softly, and she found herself captivated by his gaze. "You should know that I'm here if you ever need me, okay?"

Under his gaze, Elena found herself slowly crumbling. The resolve she had kept up for the past few months, the form of hiding her emotions she had become so good at, slowly began to dissolve until she found herself crying harder, falling apart right before his eyes.

Feeling a pang of sympathy, Damon wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl, pulling her against his chest. "Shh…" he whispered, and she nuzzled her face into his black shirt, crying harder. Damon gently stroked her hair in attempt to calm her tears, and she hiccoughed. "Oh, I'm s-sor-ry…!"

"No, Elena… don't be sorry, sweetheart," he purred to her, and she whimpered softly, clinging to the soft fabric of his jacket.

Sniffling, Elena finally drew back from his chest, looking at her feet in embarrassment. Damon frowned and ran his fingers through her hair. "It's okay, Elena; don't feel bad."

She nodded weakly, and he turned and went back to working on the sauce, adding a bit of cheese. Wiping her eyes, Elena walked over to the counter and grabbed a tissue, her eyes locking on the roses in the vase she had put them in. "Why did you bring me flowers?" she asked quietly, and he turned to look at her curiously.

"It's the gentlemanly thing to do, isn't it?" he asked, giving her a crooked smile.

Elena dabbed at her eyes, sniffling again. "Then why give them to me? Why not Jenna? She was the one who invited you…"

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather I had given them to Jenna?"

Elena blinked and shook her head, hoping she hadn't in any way offended him. "No; no, of course not. They're beautiful, and I'm flattered…"

Chuckling, Damon walked over and tilted her chin up, smirking down at her. "Did you ever consider that, just maybe, I brought you roses because I like you?"

Elena's brain flew into overdrive, with a million thoughts fighting for attention. _He likes you! Damon Salvatore, your savior, likes you! He doesn't think you're a clumsy ditz! He brought __**you **__flowers! He brought you flowers because he __**likes you…!**_

She never got a chance to say anything in response to his words, though; as soon as she opened her mouth, Jeremy walked into the kitchen, despite Jenna's protests behind him.

"We're having lasagna?" he muttered. "I hate noodles…"

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

"It really is delicious, Damon," Jenna was gushing at the table a while later, and he smirked at her.

"My parents were big on Italian food; it's sort of in my blood."

_There it was again_, Elena noticed. _That little glint in his eyes, like he's laughing at some private joke… _

"Is your dinner alright, Elena?"

Elena's head snapped up and she blushed, nodding as she looked into the crystal eyes of Damon, who was sitting only a short distance away from her. In fact, he was close enough that she could brush his leg…

Eyes widening slightly, she shoved that thought away. _Don't even think about it, _that little voice in her head scolded. _He said he likes you; don't screw it up by moving too fast!_

"Dinner is perfect, Damon," Elena said with a little flutter of her lashes, and Jeremy rolled his eyes when Damon grinned.

"Can I go now?" he asked Jenna, with the faintest tinge of a groan in his voice.

"Why?" Jenna asked, frowning, "You've barely eaten."

"Because," Jeremy said moodily, "I want to get out of here before they start banging on the table in front of us."

"Oh my God…" Elena said, putting her face in her hands, mortified. He had _not _just said that. _He had not just said that…! _

Damon cleared his throat in a slightly awkward manner, and Jenna just sat there, dumbfounded.

Finally, Elena just said, "Go, Jeremy!" in a horrified whisper, and he stood and left the room. She couldn't even look at Damon. This was it; that one stupid thing that would turn him off of her.

"Umm… if you don't mind, Jenna, I think I'd better be going," Damon said, and Elena shrunk lower into her seat in disappointment.

"If you have to," Jenna nodded, and Damon stood, walking over to Elena with his hands in his jacket pockets, grinning faintly.

"Would you mind showing me out, Miss Gilbert?"

Blinking rapidly, stunned, Elena looked up. "What…? Oh! Oh, yes, of course!"

She quickly stood up, wobbling slightly in her heels before smiling faintly, her cheeks still tinged with blush, and leading Damon out into the hall, out the door and onto the front porch.

"Well, that was interesting," Damon said with a small chuckle, and Elena blushed more.

"I am _so _sorry; it's like Jeremy doesn't have a sensor in his brain about the things that come out of his mouth…"

Damon laughed. "He's a kid, Elena; it's fine." Smirking, he tilted her chin up, his eyes hooded slightly. "Besides… banging on a table doesn't exactly sound like a horrible idea."

Elena's breath hitched with shock at his words as he bent down to kiss the soft spot beneath her ear, whispering, "Goodnight, Elena…"

She watched him walk away, completely stunned, and found herself unable to go back inside until his car had vanished from sight.

… . … . … . … . … . …

Damon walked into the boarding house, whistling as he took of his jacket and tossed it over the couch, humming to himself as he poured himself a drink.

"Well, somebody is in a good mood."

Damon smirked at Zach, who leaning against the doorframe of the parlor.

"Yes, Zach; yes I am."

"Why would that be?"

"Well, perhaps it's due to the fact that I just spent a _lovely _evening with Elena Gilbert and her _adorable _little family."

Zach's eyes narrowed. "What is it with you and Elena, Damon? Just leave her the hell alone! She isn't Katherine…!"

"Oh, I know she's not," Damon said, his smirk growing as he took another sip of his bourbon. "And that's _exactly _why I like her."

… . … . … . … . … . …

As Elena floated back into the house, high on her Damon cloud, Jenna could be heard upstairs razzing out Jeremy.

"…_totally lost your mind… probably never come back now… humiliated your sister… humiliated me…!_"

Both Jenna and Jeremy looked up in shock when Elena floated into Jeremy's room with a giggle, walking over and embracing her little brother. "Oh, I _love _you, Jeremy…"

Jeremy moved his startled eyes to Jenna. "Is she gonna kill me? Check her for kitchen knives!"

Jenna was half tempted to do exactly that, but Elena's next words changed her mind.

"Of course not, silly; thanks to _your _silly little outburst, _Damon Salvatore _basically confessed that he would _love _to 'bang' me."

Giggling again, she skipped through the conjoining bathroom and closed her bedroom door, humming what sounded _a lot _like "So this is Love" from _Cinderella. _

Jeremy was making a disgusted face, and Jenna just sighed, shaking her head as she resisted calling over, _Use protection!_

… . … . … . … . … . …

"Hoodies are _totally _in right now," the bubbly blonde said as she grabbed what looked like twenty in various colors off of the rack and pushed them into the cart.

"_Hoodies? _Caroline, I don't know…"

"Oh, come on, Stefan!" Caroline Forbes gushed. "You asked me to help you go Back to School shopping, and that's _exactly _what I'm doing. It's your own fault for being freakishly rich, and giving me access to your credit card."

Sighing, Stefan allowed her to tow him through the store some more. She was right; if he planned on going back to school to keep his brother away from Elena, he had to look the part.


	5. Wanted Dead or Alive

Elena stared at her reflection in the mirror and shook her head at her pin straight hair and simply red blouse with her favorite jeans; it would have to do. Walking over to her window seat, she grabbed her diary from its hiding place; behind her horse portrait, and sat down to write. To write before she made her way to whatever hell school was bound to be today.

Flipping the book open, she began to write.

_**September 5**__**th**__**, 2010**_

_** Dear Diary,**_

_** Well, here it goes. The first day back. The first day with all the questions, the apologies, and all the crap I thought I had been done with months ago. Jeremy is trying to skip, but I'm making sure Jenna drives him; no way in hell is he missing his first day of tenth grade. **_

_** It's been three months since Mom and Dad died. Three months, and I've been going crazy with no one to talk to about guys, no one to tell me if my skirts are too short… no one to tell about Damon Salvatore. **_

_** Oh, Mom would have loved Damon. He's like one of those guys she used to read about all the time in her old romance novels, only so much better… and he's real. He said he wanted to bang me on a table, for crying out loud! But… there's a problem.**_

_** I haven't seen or heard from him since that night two weeks ago. I get that he's probably busy (he has to be in Mystic Falls for a reason), but I can't help worrying if I drove him away. If Jeremy drove him away with that one stupid comment, when things were going so well… **_

_** If I don't have Damon to gloat about to all the girls, I'm going to have to sit through Caroline telling us all about this mysterious guy she met. God, she thinks her guy is mysterious? Clearly she hasn't met Damon.**_

__Elena's pen froze as she wrote. _Oh, my God, _she thought. _What if Caroline's mystery guy is Damon? After all; what are the odds of two mystery guys arriving in dumb little Mystic Falls at the same time…?_

"_Elena, come on! If you don't get a move on, we're all going to be late!_"

"Just a minute!" Elena called down to Jenna, quickly finishing her entry

_**Caroline Forbes' mystery guy can't be Damon. It just can't be. Damon is my mystery guy… he saved my life! **_

_** I guess I'll just have to wait and see…**_

__"_Elena!_"

"Coming, I'm coming!" Elena yelled, tucking her diary away in its safe place and grabbing her backpack, running down the stairs. "Where's Jeremy?" she asked Jenna ask she pulled the door open, heading for the car.

"He's com…ing… Well, hello," Jenna trailed off.

Elena frowned at her aunt's sudden odd behavior and followed her gaze, her eyes widening as she saw the light blue Camaro pull up on the curb, with what sounded like _Shot Through the Heart _by Bon Jovi blaring on the stereo. Elena gaped as Damon Salvatore, all clad in his dark jeans, dark t-shirt, leather jacket, ray bans and what could only be described as sex hair looked over at her, sliding his sunglasses down on his nose a fraction so she could see the brilliant blue hues of his eyes.

"Need a ride?" he called over the music, and Elena stood, dumb founded. It was the first time she'd seen him in two weeks. _Two weeks! _Now he shows up at her house, offering a ride to school in his amazing car, while he has that damn _sex hair _going on…

"Uhh… y-yeah!" Elena nodded rapidly, coming to her senses. Jenna, however, wearily grabbed Elena's arm.

"To school," she hissed. "Make sure he gives you a ride _to school._"

Pulling out of her aunt's grasp, Elena nodded just as Jeremy walked out.

"What the hell…?"

"Hey, Jeremy," Damon called over the music, and Jeremy gaped as Elena walked over to the curb, opening the passenger's door and sliding in, the leather seat warm beneath her from the sun being let in through the open top. Damon grinned as Elena shut the door and buckled her seatbelt, giving Jenna and Jeremy a wave before speeding down the street.

"Why did you offer to give me a ride?" Elena called over the music, which had shifted to _Bad Medicine. _

"I was on my way anyway, and thought you might like a ride in a better car than whatever it is your aunt drives," he said with a smirk, and Elena blushed faintly.

"Umm… thanks," she mumbled, and Damon grinned.

"Don't mention it."

"So, why were you headed to the high school, exactly?" Elena asked as Damon turned down the music a fraction to hear her better.

"My little brother is enrolling, and I thought I'd make sure he… gets settled alright."

Elena's brow furrowed. "You have a little brother?"

"Yeah; his name's Stefan. He's a real downer, though; just sits around and writes in his journal all day."

Elena grinned. "Nothing like you, then?"

Damon smirked as he turned up the music as loud as it would go. "Oh, hell yes!" he yelled, flooring the gas and sending them flying down the highway, Elena laughing more carefree than she had been in weeks the whole time.

… . … . … . … . … . …

"Where in hell is Elena Gilbert? Her stoner little brother got here ten minutes ago."

"Chill, Caroline; she'll be here."

"Don't tell me to _chill, _Bonnie, I- oh! Stefan! Stefan, over here!"

Bonnie looked up from the class list she had been studying as an old fashioned red Porsche rolled into the school parking lot, a tall boy with light brown hair getting out and taking off his sunglasses, revealing his pale hazel eyes as he walked over.

"Hey, Caroline," he said, smiling politely at her.

"Hey," she practically purred, and Bonnie raised an eyebrow. _God, could she be more obvious?_

"Hi, I'm Bonnie," Bonnie said, holding her hand out.

"Stefan Salvatore," Stefan said, shaking her hand, and Bonnie recoiled slightly at the feeling that swept over her. _What, the hell…?_

Stefan frowned. "Are… you okay?"

"Huh? Oh… umm, yeah. Salvatore, you said?"

Stefan nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, it's just…"

"God, Bonnie, stop making things awkward," Caroline said through clenched teeth, clinging to Stefan's arm. Bonnie frowned at her friend, and Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't you say there were three of you? You, Bonnie, and…?"

"Elena," Caroline snapped. "But Little Miss Perfect is late…"

"Oh, my God," Bonnie said, her eyes widening.

"What, I…?" Caroline said, but trailed off as the sound of squealing tires, _Bon Jovi, _and laughter filled all of their ears as a bright blue convertible tore into the lot, speeding directly over to them.

"Is that…?" Caroline spat.

"_Elena?_" Bonnie asked in disbelief. Neither of the girls noticed the frown pulling at Stefan's lips, or how his brows knit together with disapproval.

The car skidded to a stop right before them, and Elena beamed over at the young man neither Bonnie nor Caroline recognized, but Stefan knew all too well.

"That was amazing, Damon; thank you," Elena said with a smile, leaning over and kissing his cheek. Damon grinned triumphantly.

"No problem, Elena. Oh, hey Stef. Stef's friends."

Elena turned her head, raising an eyebrow at the brooding figure that stood with both of her best friends. "Umm… hi," she said, turning back to Damon and whispering, "Is he…?"

"My little brother, Stefan," Damon said with a smirk, and the envy on Caroline's face was visible. Bonnie still looked stunned from the entrance.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" Stefan asked, narrowing his eyes, and Damon shrugged causally, grinned.

"I was on my way to see you, actually, little brother. I wanted to make sure you got here okay. Plus, I offered Elena here a ride."

Elena grinned, and Caroline sneered. "Are you getting out any time soon, Elena? We have classes in five minutes."

"Oh, shoot! I still need to get my class list and locker number!" Leaning over a second time, Elena once again kissed Damon's cheek. "Thanks for the ride; it's the most fun I've had in weeks."

He grinned. "No problem. Hey; why don't I pick you up after school? We can go to that restaurant in town…"

"The Grill?" Elena asked, and Damon nodded, snapping his finger.

"That's it. So, what do you say?"

"Well, I say she probably has work to do since it's the first day, Damon."

Damon frowned at Stefan. "Don't be jealous, little brother. Elena?"

Elena grinned. "I'd love to go. See you later?"

"Absolutely," Damon purred, sneaking a glance at Stefan as Elena climbed out of the car and onto the curb, shutting the door. With that, he tore out of the lot, with _Wanted Dead or Alive _blaring on the stereo.

_How appropriate, brother, _Stefan thought with a sneer, turning to Elena. "Going out with my brother is a bad idea, Elena; he's dangerous."

"Umm, he saved my life, thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me," Elena said, turning to head for the school. Stefan grabbed her arm, stopping her, and Caroline flushed with jealousy.

"Just let her go, Stefan, God!" she snapped, and Stefan frowned, releasing Elena's arm.

"Right… sorry," he said, and Elena was frowning deeply.

"_This _is your big mystery guy, Care?" she asked, turning on her heel and walking away.

"Hey," Bonnie said, finally snapping out of it. "Hey, wait up! Elena!"

Caroline watched as both of her friends left, and turned sharply on her heel to face Stefan. "What the _hell _was that?"

Stefan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You were making jealous puppy dog eyes at Elena and What's His Face! What the hell, Stefan? You said you liked me! _Me! _Not _stupid _Elena Gilbert…!"

"Look, I'm sorry, Caroline, but I need to go get my class list. I'll see you later."

He waved, and then he was gone, too. Huffing, Caroline turned on her heel and headed for class.

… . … . … . … . … . …

Elena was only briefly paying attention to Mr. Tanner's History lecture, which is why she noticed straight away when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Digging it out, she checked her messages. It was from Bonnie.

_**What was wit this morning?**_

__Sighing, Elena texted back, _**Nothing He gave me a ride**_

__Seconds later, her phone buzzed again, and this time she read, _**He's fucking hot Y didn't u tell me he was that hot?**_

__Rolling her eyes, Elena keyed in, _**I did**_

__Her phone was silent for about ten minutes before it buzzed again, and Elena checked her newest message from Bonnie.

_**Other bro is staring u**_

Frowning, Elena turned to find Stefan Salvatore's hazel eyes burning into her back. She shifted uncomfortably, turning away and keying in to Bonnie in response, _**What a creep**_

__"Miss Gilbert, Miss Bennett; would you like to share your obvious conversation with that class?"  
Elena and Bonnie's heads snapped up to Mr. Tanner at once, both trying to hide their phones. Not in time, though, because Tanner snatched away Elena's, scrolling through her messages.

"Hmm… who's this f'ing hot "D", ladies?"

Both Elena and Bonnie flushed crimson, but Tanner wasn't finished.

"Oh! And the creepy brother was staring at Miss Gilbert, hmm, Miss Bennett?"

Both girls looked mortified as Tanner put their phones in his desk.

"Detention; noon. Both of you. Don't be late. Now, where were we…?"

The creepy brother. _The creepy brother! _Oh, Elena couldn't bear to look back at him. This was so humiliating…!

As soon as the bell rang, she tore out of class as fast as possible.

… . … . … . … . … . …

"So, you spent your entire lunch washing blackboards for some prick all because you and your little friend were texting in class about my baby brother being a stalker?"

Elena blushed as she leaned against the pool table, watching Damon shoot. "Uhh… well, yeah. It was awful. I didn't even get to eat lunch, he kept us so late."

"Here; take my fries if you're still hungry," Damon said as he artfully sunk the eight ball, finishing the game. Sighing, Elena stole a fry.

"You're impossible to beat."

"I'm good."

"You're _arrogant._"

"I'm sexy."

"You're an ass!"

"You know you love it…"

Elena felt herself blushing, shaking her head as she stole another fry. "You bother me, sometimes, Damon Salvatore."

"I bother everyone," Damon chuckled, grinning as he ate another fry. "Especially Zach and Stefan."

"I see. That would explain why he seemed so pissed to see you this morning."

"I think I embarrassed him in front of his new girlfriend," Damon said with a smirk as he started setting up the game again. Elena raised an eyebrow at his statement; she didn't remember Damon saying anything particularly embarrassing in front of Caroline.

"How so?" she asked, watching him finish setting up.

Damon grinned at her. "By being sexier than him, of course."

Elena rolled her eyes and grinned.

"It's your turn to break," Damon said, offering her a pool stick. Sighing, she shook her head.

"You know by now I'm terrible at this; why do you insist we keep playing?"

"A: If you can't play pool, you're _certainly _not playing darts, and B: It's fun winning."

Elena pouted. "It's hardly a fair match…"

Smirking, Damon took her hand, pulling her over. "How about I help you?"

Elena's eyes widened as she suddenly found the stick in her hands with Damon's arms around her, easing her down into the proper position and positioning her hands.

"Now, just pull back…" he whispered, easing her arm backward before pushing it forward again, sending nearly all the balls into a pocket on the first try. Elena's eyes widened with surprise.

"That was amazing!" she said as Damon released her, turning to face him.

He grinned. "It's incredible what a little help can do…"

Elena smiled, but looked down when her phone buzzed. She sighed, reading the text about Jeremy being kicked out of nearly every class that day. "I have to go," she pouted. "Sibling intervention."

"Do you need any help?" Damon asked, a smirk pulling at his lips. Elena shook her head.

"No, thanks; Jeremy needs TLC, nothing more."

Damon followed her toward the door. "Let me give you a ride home?"

Elena smiled, grasping his shoulders and leading up to kiss his cheek. "I should really walk; I'm totally out of shape, and Caroline says cheerleading tryouts are tomorrow."

Damon grinned. "Okay. If you start being stalked by another crow, call me," he chuckled, and Elena blushed faintly and nodded.

"See you around?"

"Soon," Damon promised, and Elena smiled wider as she turned and headed out the door. She had been half way down the street before she ran head-on into someone.

"Hey!" she complained, looking up and blushing. _Oh, God; it was him. Stefan!_

"Sorry," he said, tilting his head as he looked at her. Elena frowned at his gaze, finding it a bit creepy, backing up a few steps.

"Uhh… look. About those text messages Tanner read…"

"Don't worry about it," Stefan assured her, and she looked around, her frown deepening.

"Where's Caroline? I thought she'd be with you."

Stefan shrugged. "I think she's mad that I ditched her for class this morning." He shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Elena wasn't having any of it, though. "Why did you ditch her? Caroline is sensitive, you know…"

Stefan frowned. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you…"

She shook her head. "I really have to go. Tell your brother I'll see him soon." Elena smiled at the mention of Damon, but Stefan only frowned.

"I meant what I said, Elena; you don't want to get involved with Damon."

Elena frowned, turning to him. "Damon has been nothing but kind, caring, uplifting and perfect since we met. If you're going to try to tell me I can't be with him, you might as well give up right now."

Sighing, Stefan shook his head again. "Fine. Sorry I mentioned it. I'll tell Damon you said 'Hi'."

"Good," Elena said, turning on her heel and walking home.

Stefan continued to walk in the opposite direction, but with a different destination in mind now. He had a plan to prove to Elena that Damon wasn't the one for her; and he would need Caroline Forbes' help to do it.


	6. Secrets Are Discovered

"And you want us to gatecrash their next big date because…?"

"Because Elena is your friend, and my brother isn't good for her."

Caroline frowned as she sat on her couch across from Stefan, listening to his plan. "Oh? You're sure you just don't want to break them up so you can steal Elena away from him? How do I know you aren't just using me, Stefan?"

Stefan sighed. "Caroline, I'm doing it out of concern for an innocent girl. I don't want to see her get hurt like the rest of Damon's exes. Besides," Stefan said, plastering on a sweet smile, "You know you're the only girl I have eyes for in this town, Care."

Caroline looked away for a moment, thinking, and then sighed. "Fine; I'll help. I don't see why you need me, though."

"Because; if you come over to the boarding house with me while Elena is there with Damon, we can use the excuse that I brought you to show you around, and then casually offer to double date with them."

Caroline pouted slightly. "Why does it have to be an excuse? Can't you just really take me over to show me around?"

"Sure," Stefan said, nodding, "As long as you'll help me."

Caroline grinned. "Causing trouble is my middle name, Stefan; especially trouble in paradise."

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "You've broken people up before?"

"Well, how else do you think I got Michael Carter to invite me to his senior prom last year when he already had a date?" Caroline asked with a wicked grin, and Stefan grinned back; maybe this would be easier than he thought.

… . … . … . … . … . …

The sun was shining into Elena's bedroom brightly as she sat perched on her window seat, doodling absentmindedly in her Biology notebook. She was supposed to be studying for the quiz they had on Monday, but she just couldn't be bothered. She had more interesting things to focus her mind on. Things like deep black, silky hair, crystalline blue eyes, and…

"Huh. I had no idea swirly hearts had anything to do with Biology."

Elena nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice that sounded in her ear. Damon chuckled at her reaction, grinning as he moved to sit on her bed.

"How did you get in here?" Elena asked, perplexed, catching her breath. Jenna was at the library, working on her thesis, and Jeremy was… well, she didn't really want to think about where Jeremy was. Getting high, no doubt. So, she was the only one in the house.

"Well, I knocked, but nobody answered. You don't mind that I just let myself in, do you?"

"Umm…" Should she mind? "No, no it's fine," she assured him, giving him a smile as she closed her notebook and sat it on the window seat. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," Damon said simply, stretching out on her bed and putting his arms behind his head on her pillows. "I was just wondering if you had plans for tonight."

"No," Elena said, her grin widening a bit. "Why?"

"Do you want to come to dinner at the boarding house with me? Zach is going to be out tonight; something about hiring a new maid."

"What about your brother?" Elena asked, biting her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was be in the same room with Stefan Salvatore and his creepy stares again.

"Oh, don't worry about him," Damon said with a grin, picking up her teddy bear and playing with it in his hands. "He said this morning that he's going to be out with your blonde friend tonight, so we'll have the place all to ourselves."

Elena grinned playfully. "Oh, really; we'll be all alone?"

"Mmhm," Damon nodded, smirking. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"No, not at all," Elena assured him with a grin. "What time should I be ready?"

Damon grinned. "Seven okay?"

"Seven is perfect," she nodded and Damon stood up with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Perfect. I'll see you then," he put her teddy bear down and shifted off of her bed, winking at her before exiting the room. Elena watched him walk out to his car and drive off before squealing with excitement, snatching up her cellphone to call Bonnie. She had a _dinner date at the boarding house, _with _Damon Salvatore; alone_. There was a very good chance she would get her first kiss with him tonight and, if she was lucky, maybe a bit more, too. It was all too good to be true.

… . … . … . … . … . …

"You're going to be with him there, alone?" Jenna asked skeptically as she observed the little black dress and strappy black heels Elena was wearing whilst pulling her straight hair back in a ponytail, putting on her diamond drop earrings.

"Yeah; why?" Elena asked, turning to face her aunt as she grabbed her purse.

"Well… he's an older guy, Elena. How do you know this isn't just some plot to get you in his bed?"

"Relax, Jenna; I'm a big girl, I can handle myself," Elena assured her as she walked out of her room and headed downstairs. Jenna sighed and followed.

"Yes, you are a big girl. Not to mention, he is a _very _attractive guy, Elena; who's to say you'll be able to say no if he tries anything?"

"Jenna, what's the big deal? If Jer can mess around with Vicki Donovan, I think it's only fair that I can have the same privilege."

"Elena, Jeremy is going through…"

"Going through what, Jenna? A 'rough time'? The last time I checked, I lost my parents, too. Why should he get to use that excuse and I can't?"

"You're more responsible than he is, Elena! I need you to set an example for him."

Outside a car horn honked, and Elena grinned. "Too late to back out now," she said, kissing Jenna's cheek. "I'll be home by midnight, I promise. Bye!"

Jenna sighed as she watched Elena rush out the door and down the stairs, heading for the blue Camaro parked on the side of the street, the top up for once. "Be safe!" she called with a roll of her eyes and a small grin, closing the front door.

Elena smiled as she slipped into the car, and Damon grinned over at her. "You look gorgeous," he said silkily, and she blushed a bit in the dimly lit car.

"Thank you…"

"No problem," he said, smirking as he pulled back onto the street and headed for the boarding house.

"So, what are we having for dinner?" Elena asked with a smile, and Damon grinned.

"Ravioli," he said. "If there's one food genre I'm excellent at cooking, it's Italian."

Elena smiled. "Sounds delicious; I haven't had homemade ravioli since…"

She bit her lip and trailed off, and Damon glanced over at her. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, and she nodded quickly, giving him a tiny smile.

"I'm fine. I was just going to say that the last time I had it, my mother made it."

Damon smiled, reaching over and taking her hand. "It gets easier, Elena; I promise that it does."

"How long did it take you to get over it when you lost your parents?"

Damon shrugged, turning onto the street that led to the boarding house. "You never completely get over it. There will be things that remind you of them for years that you'll likely find a bit upsetting. It's like I said; it gets easier. I never said you get over it."

Elena bit her lip. As logical and true as his answer was, it really hadn't been what she'd wanted to hear. Damon glanced over at her and gave her a small smile as he pulled up to the boarding house, shutting off the car and getting out. Elena quickly wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes before getting out as well, closing the door and following Damon inside.

"Help yourself to a drink if you want," Damon instructed as he took off his jacket and tossed it over the couch. "I'm going to go check on dinner."

"Alright," Elena nodded, for once taking up the offer of alcohol. Perhaps it would help numb over the returning pain of the loss of her parents, and help her to enjoy the evening. Pouring herself a crystal tumbler of what she assumed was brandy, she sat down on the couch, sipping at it as she waiting for Damon to return.

He was back after a few minutes, running a hand through his tousled black hair as he fixed himself a glass of bourbon and sat beside her. "So," he said, smirking as he attempted to make small talk. "Read any good books lately?"

Elena giggled as she sipped at her drink, nodding. "I read _Romeo and Juliet _for the first time in English Lit class," she informed him, and Damon smirked.

"Ahh, the great tragedy; pretty depressing, isn't it?"

Elena sighed and nodded. "I suppose so. Very romantic, though."

"Oh, of course," Damon nodded, grinning. "I was never a big fan of it, though."

Elena tilted her head to the side, smiling curiously, "Why not?"

Damon shrugged, sipping at his bourbon. "Well… they all died. Where's the romantic principle in that? They never truly got to be together. Now, in my opinion, love isn't really true unless you do everything in your power to be together forever."

Elena grinned, "Very insightful, Mr. Salvatore."

He smirked. "I thought it was."

"So; how does one do everything in their power to be together forever?"

Damon grinned, inching closer to her. "Well, you cherish their love like it's the most precious thing in the world… and you protect them with all you have."

Elena gazed into his eyes as he moved even closer, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek. "And if, on the off chance you lose them… you don't stop until you get them back, no matter what gets in your way."

Elena felt her breath hitch as his lips hovered over hers, her eyelids fluttering closed as she leaned closer to him, feeling his breath on her face, their lips nearly touching…

"_Oh, Stefan; this place is amazing!_"

Elena jumped with surprise as she heard the front door fly open, and the overly cheery voice of Caroline Forbes fill the cavernous building. Damon snarled with irritation at the interrupted moment.

"_It is, isn't it? Everything you're looking at is a genuine antique._"

"_Oooh, fabulous!_"

Elena looked at Damon with confusion, pouting slightly to herself, whispering, "I thought you said we were going to have the house to ourselves…?"

"We were," Damon snarled angrily, standing up and taking her hand, leading her out to the entry where Stefan and Caroline stood. "Brother," Damon said with the annoyance clear in his voice. "What are you doing home?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd show Caroline here around before I took her out to dinner…" he said, wrapping an arm around Caroline's shoulders and sniffing the air. "Hey; is that ravioli I smell?"

"Oooh, I love ravioli!" Caroline gushed, and Stefan grinned.

"Do you?" he turned to Damon, smiling slyly. "You wouldn't mind if we joined you, would you, brother?"

"Actually…" Damon started, his voice furious, but Caroline chimed in again.

"It can be a double date! Right, Elena?" she asked, her blue eyes falling on Elena's form.

Elena sighed, turning to Damon. "I guess it could be fun," she said, shrugging slightly, and Damon frowned. Clearly, he wasn't impressed.

Turning back to Stefan and Caroline, he glared. "Fine; but you're _leaving _afterwards."

"Perhaps," Stefan nodded, leading Caroline into the parlor.

Damon's eyes turned down to Elena once they were gone. "_A double date?_" he asked, annoyed, and she sighed.

"They obviously weren't planning on leaving; at least this way we can still have some form of a date."

"With my little brother in the same room? Not exactly the type of date I had in mind, Elena," he growled, towing her into the kitchen with him.

"Well, what did you have in mind?" she hissed quietly so Stefan and Caroline wouldn't overhear.

Damon glared into the oven as he pulled out the ravioli and started spooning it onto four plates.

"Nothing that can be done now," he mumbled, and Elena felt her cheeks go pink.

_Oh. _Jenna had been right. The worst part is, she had been right about it all; if Damon Salvatore had wanted to take her up to his bedroom, she'd have gladly followed. There was no way she'd have been able to say no to this man.

"_Where's the ravioli? I'm starving!_" Caroline called with a giggle, and Damon glared as he added the parmesan cheese.

"So am I…" he grumbled, and Elena glanced curiously at him, fiddling with the hem of her dress.

"Can I help you with anything?" she asked softly, and he sighed when he turned to her with two plates, nodding to the two still on the counter.

"Could you take those out and give them to our very unwanted guests?"

"Sure," she nodded, grabbing the plates and following him out into the dining room.

"Thank you, Elena," Stefan said, grinning at her attire as she placed the plate before him and she flushed quickly turning to Caroline. She hated it when he looked at her like that. It was… well, in a word, _creepy. _

"This looks absolutely delish!" Caroline grinned as Elena placed her plate before her, walking around the table to sit beside Damon across from her.

"It should be," Stefan grinned, turning to Caroline. "My brother and I have Italian roots; we have a knack for cooking the food."

"_I _have a knack for cooking the food," Damon said, glaring slightly at his brother. "You, on the other hand, can hardly burn toast right."

"That isn't true!" Caroline said, frowning at him. "He made me _excellent _toast this morning."

Damon shook his head, taking a bite of the ravioli before him. Elena followed his leading, digging in as well, and her eyes widened when the food hit her taste buds. "This is amazing," she whispered to Damon, and a trace of his smirk returned as he glanced at her, his blue eyes dark.

"Thank you," he purred, placing a kiss to her cheek, making her blush.

"Ugh, do you two mind? I'm trying to eat here," Caroline complained, and Damon frowned at her.

"Oh, that's nothing compared to how he was with Katherine," Stefan stated, taking a bite, and Damon hissed quietly, his eyes widening in shock that his brother dared to mention her name. Elena frowned with confusion, glancing from Damon to Stefan.

"Who's Katherine?"

"Damon's ex," Stefan replied. "_My _ex, in fact."

"Wait; you both dated her?" Elena asked, turning to look at Damon. Damon was frowning deeply at Stefan, his blue eyes icy.

"I think you'd better stop there if you know what's good for you, brother," he snapped, and Stefan smirked.

"Nonsense! Don't you remember Katherine, Damon; the way you followed her around like a lost puppy when she clearly preferred me? How you would always look at her with your goo-goo eyes? The way you…?"

"Shut up!" Damon snapped loudly, making Elena and Caroline both jump.

"What happened to her?" Elena asked softly and Damon's grip tightened on his fork as he continued to glare at Stefan, daring him to speak again.

"She died," Stefan said, his brother's gaze not fazing him in the least. "A fire; tragic, really. Damon's never been the same. You know, Elena," he said, turning to her, "you sort of look like her. Uncanny resemblance, don't you think, Damon? I think they even have the same eyes."

Elena frowned, turning to Damon. "I… look like your ex?"

Damon didn't respond; he was still seething.

"Damon?" she asked softly, and he turned his icy gaze to her. "Yes, you do," he said, and his voice broke. Elena flinched.

"Is that the only reason you've been so nice to me; because I look like Katherine?"

Damon didn't respond, and Elena shook her head, standing up. "I'm going to go," she said, walking from the room.

Caroline glanced nervously between the two brothers before standing and going after Elena.

"Elena," she said, watching the other girl pull on her jacket and grab her purse, not responding to her name.

"Elena," Caroline said again, grabbing her arm and turning her to face her. She saw the tears in her old friend's eyes, noticing them spill over, and felt guilt churn her stomach. "Elena, I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Elena snapped, pulling her arm back and wiping her eyes miserably. "That the one guy who has been able to make me happy since my parents died turned out to only like me because I look like his dead girlfriend? Why would _you _be sorry for that?"

"No… for what Stefan said. He shouldn't have been like that…"

"Whatever," Elena shook her head, turning and walking out the door, slamming it behind her, starting for home on foot.

Caroline bit her lip, fiddling with her blonde curls. The night had been successful; she and Stefan had driven Elena and Damon apart. So why did she feel so awful about it?

… . … . … . … . …

Elena walked furiously down the side of the road in the moonlight, rubbing at her red-rimmed eyes miserably, choking on her sobs. How could she have been so stupid? She knew from the start that a guy like Damon was too good to be true; why had she let herself care about him?

Pausing when she heard something rustle in the bushes beside the road, Elena frowned. "Hello?" she called into the night, her voice sounding small and hoarse.

She jumped when something ran out in front of her, disappearing again second later. "Hello?" she called, biting back a sob. "Who's there?"

Something brushed past her back, touching her jacket as it went and she flinched, jumping. "_Who's there?_" she screamed into the night and screeched like a banshee when she was shoved to the ground by a dark hooded figure. Seconds later, her neck was ripped into by the sharp pierce of pointed teeth, cutting of her scream with the gargling of blood.

… . … . … . … . …

"You're such an asshole," Damon snapped to his brother as he exited the kitchen after a long glaring contest, and Stefan snorted.

"That's the best you could do, big brother? I'm an _asshole…?_"

"Where's Elena?" Damon asked with a frown as they entered the parlor, finding Caroline seated alone on the couch in her short yellow dress, fiddling with her fingers.

"She left," she said softly, and Damon's frown deepened.

"How did she leave? Her car isn't here."

"She walked, duh," Caroline said in a feebly attempt to be snooty.

Damon sighed heavily, grabbing his jacket and shrugging it on.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked as Damon headed for the door.

"To find Elena, duh," Damon stated, mimicking Caroline's tone.

"Why? She obviously doesn't want to see you…"

"Thanks to you!" Damon snapped. "And I don't give a shit whether or not she wants to see me; it's dangerous out there alone at night."

"Pft," Caroline snorted. "It's Mystic Falls; nothing bad ever happens here."

Damon rolled his eyes; how narrow minded were these moronic teenagers?

"You'd be surprised," he grumbled, walking out the door and slamming it behind him.

… . … . … . …

Damon walked along the side of the road gracefully, his black on black attire blending in with the night. He felt like he'd been walking for ages; where the hell could one teenage girl have wondered off to?

"Elena?" he called, glancing around in the darkness, walking a bit more quickly. "Elena…?"

Stopping short, Damon's eyes widened. "Fuck no!" he shouted when he caught sight of the two figures crouched on the road before him. One in a dark hoodie, the other a young girl in a black dress, her eyes nearly rolling back in her head as the hooded figure sucked greedily at her throat.

"_Elena!_"

The hooded figure looked up at the sound of Damon's voice, his face not visible, and he dropped Elena onto the asphalt, blurring away faster than you could blink.

Damon quickly blurred over to Elena's side, swearing under his breath at the clear damage that had been done to her. There was nearly no sign of life on the girl's lovely features, and her breathing was almost unnoticeable. Grumbling angrily, Damon tore into his wrist with his elongated fangs and pulled Elena into his lap, pressing the wound to her lips, letting the blood run down her throat.

After a few moments she began to drink on her own accord, her neck wound healing quickly, her mind becoming more coherent. When Damon was positive she was back to her normal state, if not a bit more, he pulled his wrist back from her lips. Her brown eyes drifted up, locking with his reddened blue orbs, and she gaped at him in shock, trembling in his arms.

"_What are you?_"


	7. Hit Me Baby One More Time

_Previously in "Firsts"_

_Grumbling angrily, Damon tore into his wrist with his elongated fangs and pulled Elena into his lap, pressing the wound to her lips, letting the blood run down her throat._

_ After a few moments she began to drink on her own accord, her neck wound healing quickly, her mind becoming more coherent. When Damon was positive she was back to her normal state, if not a bit more, he pulled his wrist back from her lips. Her brown eyes drifted up, locking with his reddened blue orbs, and she gaped at him in shock, trembling in his arms._

_ "What are you?" _

Damon gazed intently down at Elena, his face remaining demonic as he searched for the proper words to use. He could always compel her, but then it would be bound to just come up again later. Sighing, he let his fangs slide into place and his eyes returned to their normal blue.

"I'm a vampire, Elena. So is Stefan," he sighed, tightening his grip on her waist so she wouldn't run screaming for the hills. "We've been vampires for more than 150 years."

Elena swallowed roughly, shaking her head, her mind blank with shock. "No… no, it's impossible… monsters don't exist…"

"No, monsters don't," Damon nodded in agreement. "But vampires do. Vampires are very much real, and you're lucky to be alive right now after that stupid move you pulled."

"_Stupid move?_" Elena snapped, struggling to get out of his grip.

"Yes, _stupid move! _Who the hell is dumb enough to wander around alone at night? If a vampire hadn't gotten you, it could have just as easily been a mugger, or rapist! Oh, but that's right; _it's Mystic Falls. Nothing bad ever happens here._"

Damon scowled and Elena fought against his iron grip again. "Nothing bad _did _happen in Mystic Falls until _you _showed up!"

Damon snarled angrily, tightening his grip on her. "_Excuse me?_"

"You heard me!" Elena snapped, fighting to get out of his arms. "My parents _died _the night you showed up! Everything was perfectly fine around her up until that point!"

"I saved your fucking life that night!" Damon cried and Elena glared.

"If I hadn't have met you, it wouldn't have needed saving. I was fighting with my father about _you _when he drove off Wickery Bridge! It's all your fault…!"

Elena gasped when he shoved her out of his arms and stood up. "You ungrateful little bitch," he spat. "I should have just let that damn vampire kill you."

Elena flinched, quickly getting to her feet. "Well, he wouldn't have been trying to kill me if I hadn't run out because of the fact that you only paid any attention to me because I look like some chick named Katherine!"

"_You don't get it!_" Damon shouted angrily. "You don't just _look like _her; you look _exactly _like her. I've been trying to figure out _why!_"

"So the fact that you were planning on sleeping with me tonight has nothing to do with her, then?" Elena asked coldly, her eyes narrowing.

Damon scowled. "It's not like you didn't want to. Something tells me you don't wear that on most of your other dates," he snapped back, looking her over.

Elena crossed her arms over her chest subconsciously, frowning deeply. At the moment, she didn't want to be anywhere near this man. He disgusted her, and she wanted him out of her life, so all these bad things would stop happening to her. She had known he was too good to be true.

"Why don't you just leave me the hell alone, Damon? I'm going home," she said, whirling on her heel and starting in the other direction.

"Oh no you don't," Damon said, blurring in front of her, causing her to gasp.

"Yes, I am!" she yelled angrily, pushing him out of her way and walking faster. She squealed and screamed angrily when he suddenly picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, starting back in the direction of the boarding house. "Damon, put me down! Put me the hell down!" She pounded on his back, kicking her feet furiously. "_Let me go!_"

"If you think I'm just going to let you go home and tell everyone in town what my brother and I are, you're more stupid than I pegged you for," Damon growled. "So, unless you want me to compel you to forget this night ever happened, completely altering your feelings for me again, you're going to come with me on a little road trip.

"_What?_" Elena cried. "No, I'm not! I have school, and I have to be home by midnight!"

Damon sat Elena on her feet at the bottom of the driveway once they got back to the boarding house, holding her firmly in place by her arms. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, you're coming whether you like it or not."

"Actually," he said, "Let me rephrase that. We can do this the easy way for _you, _or the easy way for me. Either way, it isn't going to be very hard to get you to come. So, what'll it be?"

Elena glared heatedly. "_I am not going with you!_"

"Fine," Damon shrugged, and then he grasped her chin, holding her face in place as he stared down into her eyes. "You're going to go to sleep now like a good little girl."

Seconds later, Elena passed out and went limp in his arms. Smirking, Damon carried the girl over to the passenger's side of his Camaro.

… . … . … . … . …

"_Breaking down and coming undone, it's a rollercoaster kinda rush! And I never knew I could feel that much, and that's the way I loved you…_"

Elena groaned as she slowly began to stir, music echoing in her ears as offending sunlight blinded her unadjusted eyes, slowly opening them. She frowned when she realized she was looking out a window at landscape, unfamiliar landscape, quickly flying by. Sitting up straight she realized that she had been sleeping in the passenger's seat of Damon Salvatore's Camaro, drooling on his leather seats.

"_But I miss screaming and fighting and k…_ oh, hey! Look who finally decided to join the living. Or, not so living."

"What the hell?" Elena yelled at Damon angrily as he drove, singing along to the Taylor Swift song blaring on his radio. "I told you I wasn't coming!"

"Well, your current location would beg to differ," Damon stated simply, glancing around outside the windshield.

"Damon, take me home! Right now!" she yelled and Damon groaned.

"Will you just relax? Sit back and listen to Swifty. Have a Dorito," Damon said, tossing the bag of chips at her. Elena angrily tossed it to the floor, shutting the radio off.

"Aww, come on; that's my song! Don't tell me you don't like Taylor Swift," Damon said, glancing at her.

"Shut up and take me home! Now, Damon! Jenna has no idea where I am…!"

"Oh, will you relax? God, what happened to _fun _Elena? You know, the one I drove down the highway to school with listening to Bon Jovi? Where's _that _girl?"

Elena was ignoring him, searching for her cellphone. "Where the hell is my phone?" she snapped, glaring up at him. He sighed.

"Well, it's most likely back at the boarding house where I left your purse after I _saved your life,_" he hissed, his patience growing thin again.

Elena glared, glancing out the window behind his head. "Where are we, anyway?" she asked with obvious displeasure. Damon smirked.

"Geooorgiaa," he responded, drawling the word, and Elena's eyes widened.

"_Georgia? Are you kidding me? I can't be in Georgia…!_"

"Well, you're in Georgia. So either shut up and enjoy it, or I'll have to compel you to."

"What the hell is compulsion?" Elena hissed, hearing that word for what felt like the thousandth time in the past few hours.

Damon sighed. "If you'd stop complaining, I might have a chance to explain some things to you," he said, and Elena sat with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm listening."

"Well, for starters, compulsion is sort of like being brainwashed. We look into your eyes, tell you to do something, and you have no choice but to do it." He gestured to her as he watched the road, "Hence why you're here."

Elena's eyes narrowed. "What other _powers _do you have?"

"Oh, the usual; super speed, super strength, super sexiness…"

He smirked at the cocky comment and Elena rolled her eyes. "You're such an ass…"

"You asked!" he responded defensively. "You know it's true; yesterday, you were throwing yourself at me."

Elena glared at him. "Will you _please _take me home?"

"Nope," Damon responded simply. "I have business to tend to here, and we're almost there, anywhere."

"Almost where?" Elena asked a bit warily. Suddenly, the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was echoing in her mind, and she swallowed roughly. What type of business would a vampire have to tend to? In all honesty, she didn't want to know.

"Bree's," he responded, and Elena frowned.

"What's Bree's?" she asked, and Damon shrugged.

"A bar a friend of mine owns. I need to talk to her about something very important."

"What is it?" Elena asked, and Damon frowned slightly.

"_That _is none of your business."

"Well, you dragged me out here! The least you can do is tell me _why!_"

Damon snarled with irritation. "I swear, Elena, if you don't stop yapping, I'll _make _you stop, and you may not enjoy my methods."

Elena flinched at his tone, backing away from him slightly and glaring out the window. She kept her mouth shut for the rest of the drive until Damon pulled into the parking lot of the bar, shutting of the engine and glancing at her.

"Well? Are you coming or not?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "I'm seventeen. I'm not even old enough to get in."

Damon looked at her like she was stupid. "Have you forgotten everything I said about compulsion already?"

Sighing, Elena got out and walked up to the front door, waiting impatiently for Damon to catch up. He took off his sunglasses and tossed them between the seats, getting out and following her, locking the car in the process.

"I don't understand why you wanted me to come," Elena grumbled as they walked inside.

Damon had opened his mouth to answer when he was cut off by a loud, excited voice. "_That is not who I think it is!_"

Damon's lips quirked up in a smirk, and Elena's eyes widened when a middle aged woman with coffee colored skin and long, curly dark hair lunged herself at him, kissing him passionately. Elena took a stunned step back, and frowned with confusion when the woman slapped Damon across the face when she pulled back. "_That _is for not calling me back, you miserable excuse for a vampire!"

Damon grinned, and Elena took a step closer. "Umm… what's going on here…?"

The woman turned her head, and her eyes widened when they locked on Elena. "Oh my God…" she breathed, turning to Damon. "You did it. You got her out of the tomb…?"

"Actually, no. That's why I'm here." Damon released his hold on the woman's waist and gestured to Elena. "Bree, I'd like you to meet Elena Gilbert. Elena, this is Bree."

"Elena?" Bree asked in confusion. "But… she looks just like…"

"Katherine? Yeah, believe me; I know. I thought maybe _you _would know why."

"Oh, no," Gloria breathed, her eyes staying locked and wide on Elena, making her shift uncomfortably.

"What?" Elena asked, and Gloria nodded.

"I should have known it was around that time…" She turned to Damon, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Time for what?"

"She's the next Petrova doppelganger, Damon."

"I'm sorry, what?" Damon asked, frowning.

"She never told you about her bloodline?" Bree asked, frowning.

"I think the real question is how do _you _know?" Damon asked with a scowl.

Sighing, Bree shrugged and wandered back over to the bar, stepping behind it and gesturing to the seats in front of it. "I know these things because the stories of them are passed down through my family, thanks to what we are. Every good witch knows that the blood of a doppelganger is needed to do many dark spells."

Pouring two shots of tequila and placing them before Damon and Elena, she turned her back, still speaking. Noticing Elena glancing nervously at the shot before her, Damon quickly swiped it and downed it, along with his own before Bree turned around again, her eyes fixed on Elena.

"Watch your back, sweetheart; there are plenty of people who'll want to do some nasty things to you if they think you're someone you're not."

Casting a glance at Damon when she said this, she turned around and went to serve a few other people.

Elena shifted awkwardly in her seat, a bit overwhelmed by all this. "Wait… so how is it I look exactly like your ex? And what's all this talk about a tomb? Why is Katherine in a tomb? Does this mean there are possibly dozens of other people around who look just like me, too…?"

Rolling his eyes, Damon grabbed a bottle from over the counter and filled her shot again. "Drink, and stop asking so many questions. You're going to make my head explode."

"_Well?_" she hissed angrily, not looking at the drink.

"No, there aren't dozens of you out there," he said, taking a swig from the bottle. "Katherine was born over five hundred years ago, so it makes sense that she would have some kind of creepy twin granddaughter…"

"I am not creepy…! Wait! _Five hundred years ago?_"

Sighing heavily with irritation, Damon took another swig. "How do you think I became what I am? Vampires don't just grow on trees, Elena; we have to be turned."

"So, Katherine… she was a vampire."

"Yes."

"And she's in a tomb?"

"Yes."

"And you're trying to get her out."

"_Yes._"

"Because you love her?"

Damon didn't respond to that. He simply pushed her shot toward her and frowned. "I told you to drink. You're going to look like a freak if you sit at the bar and have nothing."

"Did you ever consider that I don't drink?"

"You're a teenager, Elena; there isn't a teenager in the world who would pass up alcohol these days."

"Well maybe I…"

"_Just drink it!_" Damon snapped. How could someone he had gotten along so well with a few days ago suddenly be getting on his last nerve every few seconds?

Frowning, Elena picked up the shot and fingered it for a few seconds before tossing it back.

"I'm warning you; I'm a lushy drunk," she mumbled, taking the bottle from him and pouring another.

"Lucky me," Damon mumbled, grabbing the bottle of bourbon.

… . … . … . … . …

"No way! I can _so _sing _Hit Me Baby One More Time _better than you!"

Elena was sitting at the bar, downing shot number I-lost-count-five-shots-ago, wedged between a tall girl with long blonde hair, and a guy in his twenties with messy brown hair. She was having a very riveting conversation about karaoke with the blonde when Damon slipped silently away, walking over to the table Bree was cleaning.

"What was that back there?"

Bree paused in wiping down the table, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. "What was what?"

"When you told Elena to watch her back. You seemed like you were… warning her; about _me_."

Bree scoffed nervously, shaking her head as she continued to clean the table. "Now why would I do that?"

"You're keeping something from me. What is it?"

"Nothing…" Bree mumbled, gasping when Damon grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him.

"_What are you hiding from me?_"

"I…!" Bree began to gasp out nervously, but never got the chance to finish. Her head snapped up, eyes wide as the music in the bar was cranked up much louder than she kept it, and Damon turned around with confusion and irritation, his eyes widening as he realized what was going on.

The young man Elena had been with had gotten hold of the controls to the sound system, and now _Hit Me Baby One More Time _was blaring throughout the bar. At the moment, Damon's eyes were locked on none other than a very tipsy, lushy Elena standing up fearlessly on the bar, microphone in hand, moving her body provocatively to the beat.

"_Oh baby baby, how was I supposed to know? That something wasn't right here? Oh baby baby, I shouldn't have let you go… and now you're out of sight yeah! Show me how you want it to be… Tell me baby, 'cause I need to know now, oh! Because…_"

"Get her down from there!" Bree hissed to Damon, yanking her arm out of his and Damon groaned, stalking toward the bar.

"_My loneliness is killing me… I must confess! I still believe! When I'm not with you I lose my mind; give me a sign! Hit me baby one more time!_"

Damon had made a move to grab Elena off of the bar, but she very easily deflected it, which was rather surprising seeing as though how drunk she was. Shimmying slowly down the bar, rocking her hips, she continued to sing as the blonde girl and the boy cheered her on.

"_Oh baby baby, the reason I breathe is you; boy you got me blinded! Oh pretty baby there's nothing that I wouldn't do; that's not the way I planned it!_"

Snarling, Damon made another grab for Elena's feet in attempts at throwing her over his shoulder, but she chose that exact moment to twirl away from him, almost falling from the bar in the process, proceeding with the song yet again.

"_Show me how you want it to be… Tell me baby, 'cause I need to know now oh! Because… my loneliness is killing me… I must confess I still believe! When I'm not with you I lose my mind… give me a sign! Hit me baby one more time!_"

Growling, Damon finally grabbed onto Elena's waist, tugging her down from the bar and to her feet just as the song slowed down, only to find her _still _singing, but evidently _now _she planned on using him as a prop as she circled around him, trailing her fingertip over his chest.

"_Oh baby baby, how was I supposed to know? Oh pretty baby, I shouldn't have let you go…_"

Damon blinked, slightly stunned as she wrapped one of her arms around his neck and continued to belt out lyrics, specifically to him. God, she _was _a lushy drunk.

"_I must confess! That my loneliness! Is killing me now… Don't you know I still believe? That you will be here and give me a sign… hit me baby one more time! My loneliness is killing me… I must confess I still believe! When I'm not with you I lose my mind! Give me a sign… hit me baby one more time!_"

Damon frowned as Elena backed him against the bar, her voice echoing in his ears as well as throughout the rest of the bar. The situation certainly could be worse; she could be a bad singer. She could have fallen. She could have picked a Justin Bieber song.

Shaking his head, he just let Elena do as she wished and finish the song; it was the only way he was going to get her out of there.

"_I must confess that my loneliness is killing me now… Don't you know I still believe? That you will be here… and give me a sign… hit me baby one more time!_"

The music finally stopped, and a few people clapped politely as Bree rushed to the sound system, glaring at the young man and pushing him away, shutting the song down and turning down the volume, resuming the regular music.

"_Get her out of here!_" Bree hissed at Damon and he sighed, taking the microphone from Elena's hands and placing it on the counter, placing his hands on her shoulders and pushing her toward the door.

"Come on, Britney," he grumbled, and Elena giggled.

"Oooooh, where are we going?"

"Somewhere quiet," Damon grumbled. "Somewhere you can pass out, and I can finish what I came here to do."


	8. The Confusing Things That Are Emotions

Elena stumbled into the dingy hotel room, a ridiculous grin plastered on her face as she bolted for the bed, jumping dramatically onto it, the springs creaking beneath her weight. Damon rolled his eyes as he shut the door, taking off his jacket and tossing it over a chair.

He had gotten them a room in the motel across from Bree's bar, and, though it _definitely _wasn't up to his standards, it would have to do. Not to mention, Elena was far too drunk to notice the place was a dive, anyway.

"Ooooh, the bed is so _bouncy!_" she giggled, bouncing up and down on her stomach. Narrowing his eyes, Damon shook his head.

"Don't do that; you'll make yourself hurl all over the bed, and I refuse to go to that office and ask for new sheets, just to be hit on by that stupid redneck again…"

When Elena simply continued to bounce and giggle, Damon glared and took a menacing step toward her. Elena shrieked when she saw him coming, diving beneath the blankets, pulling them over her head as if they would protect her. "Don't hurt me!" she squealed, sounding genuinely terrified.

_Good, _Damon thought with a sneer. Yanking the blankets off of her head, he glared at her.

"That was a _very _stupid stunt you pulled in there. Bree doesn't run a karaoke bar!"

Elena blanched under his harsh tone, shimmying further away from him on the bed. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, quivering slightly with fear.

Damon took another step toward her and she flinched. "Not to mention, you humiliated me, _and _prevented me from finishing the business I told you that I specifically came here to do. God, you acted like a child!"

Tears flooded Elena's chocolate-brown eyes, and she sunk back into the pillows, looking up at him like a wounded deer. "I just wanted to get your attention…"

"Well, you got it!" Damon snapped. "And trust me when I say this, Elena; you don't want to get on the bad side of my temper. It will not end well for you. You're about this close to reaching that point."

When he finished speaking, Elena burst into sobs. "I said I was s-sorry…! I d-didn't want to c-come here in the f-f-first place…! You m-made m-me…!"

"Oh, stop crying!" Damon hissed, rolling his eyes and tossing the blankets back at her, starting for the door. "Go to sleep; you're drunk, and you're annoying me. I need to go talk to Bree."

Elena whimpered and shook her head, scrambling to the end of the bed and grasping his hand. "Don't leave me alone… please. Please, please, Damon… the other v-vampire might come b-back…"

"He's not going to…" Damon started to snap, but trailed off when he caught sight of her expression. It nearly mirrored the one she had possessed the night he pulled her from the car when her parents drove off Wickery Bridge, and it still had the power to break his heart.

_How could one look from a girl he didn't even care about have so much power over him? _

Frowning, he gently removed his hand from hers, speaking more gently. "He's not going to come back, Elena. He doesn't know where we are."

"What if he f-followed us…?"

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, conflicted as he glanced at the door. Bree would be leaving in roughly five minutes, and he _needed _to talk to her. But then there was Elena… stupid, weak, human little Elena. Elena, who was looking at him with those damn doe eyes of hers…

"God, you're irritating…" he grumbled, kicking his boots off and sitting down on the bed, pushing her back down by her shoulders so she was lying down. "Sleep. Now; don't make me compel you again."

Nodding rapidly, Elena snuggled into the pillow and closed her eyes. Damon leaned back against the old wooden headboard, watching her as she drifted off until she was sleeping peacefully. Frowning a bit, he reached down and tucked a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear away from her face, finding himself gently trailing his knuckled down her soft cheek absent-mindedly.

That strange feeling the touch gave him… it's only because she looks like Katherine, he assured himself. It had nothing to do with the human girl herself. Katherine was who he loved, Katherine was, and had been, his only, his constant for nearly two centuries. If this girl, Elena, died right now, he could care less. He wouldn't even mourn her.

Frowning at the thought, he brushed his fingertips over her lips.

_Well, maybe he'd mourn her a little. _

Elena's soft breath touched his cool skin when his fingers touched her lips, and he trailed his thumb gently over her plump bottom lip. Her lips were so… kissable. They felt warm beneath his fingers, and he could smell the cheap alcohol laced with her breath. It wouldn't mean anything if he just bent down and…

In a moment of uncertainty, Damon lied down on the bed beside Elena and leaned forward, gently capturing her lips with his in a soft, hesitant kiss. He felt Elena's body instinctively shift closer to his, and he knew then that she hadn't been quite as asleep as he'd assumed she was. When he pulled his lips back from hers, her eyes remained shut, but a soft smile bloomed on her pink lips.

His brow furrowing slightly, a small grin tugged at Damon's own lips. Shifting closer, he laid his arm over her waist, and Elena shimmied closer to his body, leaning her head against his chest, a small, content sigh falling from her lips. Confusion sparking in his eyes, Damon frowned slightly. Katherine had never done that. She'd never once expressed the desire to… cuddle? It was an action strange and unknown to Damon… but not entirely unwelcome. Elena's body felt warm against his, and her curves fit his almost perfectly. It was… nice. His small, hesitant smile returning, he gently ran his fingers through her soft, straight brown hair, closing his own eyes.

For the first time in 145 years, Damon Salvatore fell asleep with another person lying next to him. For the first time in 145 years… he fell asleep with a genuinely content smile on his lips.

… . … . … . … . … . …

Around ten a.m. the next morning, Elena slowly woke up. She groaned as she rolled onto her back, covering her eyes. Her head was _pounding. _How much had she drank last night…?

"Morning, sleepy head."

Her eyes snapping open, Elena nearly jumped out of her skin. She heard a faint chuckle beside her and found Damon lounging, fully dressed, on the bed next to her above the sheets, examining his nails. "Relax," he purred, shifting his gaze to her face. "It's only me. I've been awake for _hours; _do you realize how _boring _Atlanta is at five a.m.?"

Elena squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head, grimacing. "I don't know, and I don't care… God, my head _hurts…_"

"I figured as much; here."

Elena peeked out of one eye to find Damon holding out two Tylenol and a bottle of water. "Luckily, Bree had some to spare. It'll help."

Sitting up, Elena took the pills from his hand, popping one into her mouth and opening the bottle of water, taking a gulp before doing the same with the other pill. "Thank you…"

"Forget about it," Damon said, resuming his carefree position. "So; do you remember… anything from last night?"

Elena frowned and shook her head, lying down again; grateful that Damon had closed the curtains so the sun couldn't assault her eyes. "Nothing; I warned you I was a lushy drunk…"

Sighing, Damon nodded. "You did…" He released a breath, silently grateful that she didn't remember. The last thing he needed was her remembering what had happened last night; the kiss, the cuddling. He didn't want her thinking he _cared_… It had simply been a lapse in control; a momentary Missing Katherine thing.

"What did I do…?" Elena asked, somewhat nervously. Damon smirked, turning his head toward her.

"Well, you sang a very riveting cover of _Hit Me Baby One More Time _to me; you're not a bad singer, actually."

Elena blushed and groaned. "Oh, God; I'll never be allowed in there ever again…"

"Relax," Damon chuckled. "I smoothed things over with Bree; everything is fine. Although, _I _probably won't be bringing you back, so you don't need to worry."

Frowning a bit, Elena opened her eyes again. "Why won't you take me back?"

Damon frowned with confusion, his brow furrowing. "Well, there's the ever popular _I Didn't Want To Come Here in the First Place, You Asshole _answer…"

Elena frowned. "And aside from that…?"

"Aside from that… I have no reason to come back here. If I'm going to take you to another bar again, I'll take you somewhere… a bit more respectable."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "With my permission this time."

Smirking, Damon wiggled his eyebrows. "Perhaps…"

Elena reached over and swatted him playfully, and he chuckled, shaking his head. Elena furrowed her brow with confusion as she looked up at him. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

Shrugging, Damon turned his blue gaze to her again. "Well… I guess I realized that you aren't the worst company in the world, Elena."

Smiling a bit, Elena looked down. "I try…"

Damon chuckled, shaking his head. "If you hadn't gotten drunk, you wouldn't have tried!"

Shaking her head, Elena looked away, a grin still tugging at her lips. "You're impossible…"

"You love it."

Elena looked back to him, tilting her head curiously. "Can I… ask you a few questions?"

Frowning a bit, Damon narrowed his eyes. "About what?"

Elena shrugged. "Vampires… you…" she bit her lip before whispering, "her…?"

Damon stiffened, his eyes widening a bit. "Katherine…?"

Nodding slowly, Elena bit her lip. "I mean… if I look exactly like her, I'd like to know… well, about her."

Sighing, Damon nodded. "Alright, alright. What do you want to know?"

"How old are you?"

Damon paused before answering quietly, "One hundred and seventy-two."

"When were you turned?"

"1864."

"Who turned you?"

Damon swallowed a bit roughly, answering, "Katherine…"

"Why did she change you?"

"For all the obvious reasons; to be together, forever… because I loved her…"

"Don't you mean, because you loved each other…?"

Damon frowned deeply. "In case you haven't noticed, she also turned my baby brother. Honestly, I'm not positive where her feelings lie…"

Elena frowned with confusion. "But, if you don't know if she loves you… why are you so intent on getting her out of that tomb?"

Damon frowned, shifting away from her slightly, not liking the direction this conversation was going. "Because I need to know," he stated simply, pressing a finger to her lips when she opened her mouth to ask more questions. "That's enough. You can ask me more later. We have to get home; your aunt will be worried."

Elena sat up, gasping, her eyes wide. "Oh, my God! Jenna! I haven't been home in nearly three days! She won't have any idea what happened to me! _I was supposed to be home by midnight!_"

Damon rolled his eyes; _and she's back._ "Will you calm down? Please? I'll take care of it."

"You aren't compelling her!"

"Oh, so you'd rather be grounded for the rest of your teenage life? Because that's likely what you'll be coming home to."

Elena opened her mouth to retaliate, but closed it again, frowning. He was right.

"Fine… But only this once! I don't like this stupid compulsion stuff…"

Smirking wickedly, Damon shook his head. "No one ever does."

Turning to him nervously, Elena swallowed roughly. "Promise me you won't do it to me again. Please, Damon."

Rolling his eyes, Damon shook his head. "I'm more worried about _other _vampires doing it to you. It turns out Mystic Falls is pretty much crawling with them."

Elena shuddered at the idea, shaking her head. "Is there no way to prevent it…?"

Damon paused, uncertain if he should tell her. "I know of a way… leave it to me. I'll sort everything out so that no one, not even I can compel you. Okay?"

She nodded, sitting up straight and standing up, rubbing her temples, the headache less powerful, but still very much there. "Let's just get home; Jenna is going to flip."

"Correction; she's going to flip, but I'll compel her to stop."

Sighing, she nodded. "Take me home… please?"

Damon nodded, getting to his feet and tugging his jacket on, sighing as he pulled her under his arm. "Head down; the sun is bright out there."

Giving him a small, grateful smile, Elena nodded and looked at her feet as Damon led her out into the sunny morning, jogging across the street to the parking lot outside of Bree's, opening her car door for her and ushering her into her seat.

Elena frowned with confusion when Damon closed her door, promptly getting in his own. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to Bree?"

"Nope," Damon responded simply, passing her his sunglasses and starting the car, pulling onto the road.

Hesitating with confusion, Elena put his sunglasses on and decided not to pry. "Okay then…"

As she turned to look out the window, Elena failed to notice the tiny smattering of blood on the sleeve of Damon's leather jacket.

… . … . … . … . … . …

"_Where have you been? You didn't call! Didn't text! God, Elena, I was this close to calling the police- WHAT IS HE DOING WITH YOU-?!_"

Elena flinched when she opened the door and Jenna unleashed her fury, her wild eyes locked on Damon. Rolling his eyes, he nudged Elena out of the way and walked inside, gazing into Jenna's eyes. "Stop talking."

A furious yell stopped dead on Jenna's tongue as her voice went dead. When she was silent, Damon continued. "Elena spent a few days away with family. You knew exactly where she was, and weren't worried at all. Now, you're going to welcome her home with open arms, and thank me for giving her a ride home."

Jenna blinked, and then turned to Elena with a wide smile. "Oh, I'm so glad you're home!" She beamed, hugging her tightly. "I missed you so much!" Grinning, she turned to Damon. "Thank you so much for giving her a ride home."

Turning back to Elena, she grinned. "Did you have fun?"

Elena nodded slowly, turning to Damon with a quizzical expression before Jenna led her away. Grinning slightly, Damon turned and walked back out the door.

… . … . … . … . …

"Where did you take her?"

"None of your business, Zach," Damon responded as he walked into his room, heading over to his dresser.

"It is my business! You vanish for three days, and so does Elena Gilbert? That's no coincidence! _Where-did-you-take-her?_"

Glaring, Damon whirled. "Zach; get out. Now."

Sneering, Damon shook his head. "You know I can't be compelled…"

"Oh, I know," Damon glared. "But, if you don't get out now, I won't need to compel you. Because you'll be dead. Out; now!"

Glaring, Zach headed for the door. "Stefan isn't going to tolerate this…"

Snorting, Damon shook his head. "Stefan has no power over what I do. He never has, and he never will."

But, when the door closed, Damon moved a bit faster in what he was doing; he needed to get vervain on Elena, ASAP. He couldn't have his baby brother getting to her…

Finding the locket he had been searching for, Damon grinned. It was a small golden oval with a black crow engraved in it. It had belonged to his mother; she had given it to him before she died.

Slipping it into the pocket of his jeans, Damon headed down to the basement, in search of his goal; vervain.

… . … . … . … . … . …

Elena hugged Jenna goodnight, smiling warmly at her aunt. "I have to get to bed; school in the morning. Will you write me a note about the family emergency?"

Nodding, Jenna smiled. "Of course. Sleep well."

Elena smiled, heading upstairs. "Goodnight!"

When Elena opened her bedroom door, she paused at the faint whooshing noise she heard. She noticed that her window was open, and glanced over at her bed. Lying on her pillow was a small, black velvet box wrapped in a deep red ribbon. Next to it was a note, and she quickly closed her door, walking over and picking it up. Written in deep black ink was a note, and she smiled faintly when she realized it was from Damon.

_**Elena,**_

_** You asked to not be compelled. I told you there was a way. Well, here's your way. Wear it all the time; never take it off. Whatever you do, don't tell anyone it's from me. It will keep you safe, Elena… Whether I say so or not… that's what I want. For you to be safe.**_

_**Damon**_

Burning with curiosity, Elena picked up the box and tugged the ribbon off, popping the lid open. Her eyes widened when she saw the polished golden necklace with the deep black crow engraved in it, sitting down on her bed.

Damon wanted her to be safe. Did that mean that… he cared?

Shaking her head, she pushed her hair over one shoulder and unclasped the necklace, fastening it around her neck. She fixed her hair and glanced in the mirror, biting her lip.

Damon was so confusing. One moment he was a raging asshole, the next he was incredibly sweet. She had no idea what she felt for him, or what he felt for her… But she knew one thing.

She had to find out.


	9. The Founders' Party

It had been nearly a week since they had returned from their… eventful trip to Georgia, and Elena hadn't heard a single word from Damon.

_He wanted you safe, _a voice mumbled in the back of her mind, _and you'll obviously be that much safer if you aren't hanging around a bipolar vampire!_

She couldn't help sulking, though. She felt like he was ignoring her, trying to forget she existed. It wasn't _fair. _

"Don't be so pouty," Caroline was saying as she walked toward the front doors beside Elena, who had barely spoken two words to her since they had met up after French class.

"I'm not being pouty," Elena mumbled, shooting a glare at Caroline. Of course, _she _wouldn't understand. She couldn't help but wonder; did Caroline know the Salvatores secret? Had Stefan told her?

_Speak of the devil, _she thought as she watched him round the corner from the gym, grinning when he saw the pair of them and jogging over.

"Hey you!" Caroline said with a giggle, pouting when he simply brushed past her, looking straight to Elena.

"Elena," he said, shrugging his bag onto his shoulder, "what's up? I haven't seen you with Damon in a while."

Frowning, Elena tried to push past him before stopping. "Actually," she said, turning around and facing him again as he slung an arm around Caroline's shoulder, "when you see your brother, could you tell him I want to talk to him? He's been avoiding me all week."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Elena; it's Friday night! Come and have fun; don't be all boring and pine after some guy who doesn't even want you."

Elena flinched at Caroline's words, her frown taking its place on her lips again. "Whatever, Caroline…"

Caroline bit her lip, realizing her choice of words _had _been a bit fickle; not that it was unusual for her to say things like that. "Sorry… what I meant was that you should come to the founders' party tonight at Tyler's! It's bound to be a blast."

"Founders' party?" Elena asked, looking bored. "Caroline, those things are so _boring. _Just a bunch of stuck up families drinking their fancy champagne and talking about what pointless event to throw next. Why would you _want _to go?"

"Stefan's taking me!" Caroline giggled, wrapping her arms around his torso. Stefan grinned and nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of her blonde head before turning his attention back to Elena.

"You should come. It's bound to be better than sitting at home, watching _Dawson's Creek _reruns."

"I do not…!" Elena flushed, turning angrily to Caroline. "You told him I watch _Dawson's Creek?_"

Caroline grinned and shrugged, giggling again. "Relax, Elena; everyone has a guilty pleasure. Although I would really suggest you get a more up to date one…"

Elena rolled her eyes and turned on her heel, stalking toward the doors.

"Elena!" Caroline called, irritation clear in her voice, but Elena just kept walking, pushing through the double doors and storming down the staircase to the pavement.

"Hey!" she cried furiously when she plowed straight into someone, turning her head up to yell at them. "Watch where you're…!"

She trailed off, her eyes widening. "Damon…?"

He smirked, straightening his jacket and appraising her. "Sorry; didn't mean scare you."

She frowned and smacked his chest, her eyes blazing furiously. "Where in hell have you been? I haven't heard from you in nearly a week!"

Damon raised an eyebrow, glancing in the mirror of one of the many cars in the lot to fix his hair. "I've been… busy. Not to mention I thought you might appreciate some time away from me after our… excursion."

"You mean, after my kidnapping?" Elena asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Damon grinned again, looking back at her, catching sight of the necklace twinkling around her neck.

"You wore it," he said, a small hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Of course I did," she said, touching the necklace that lay above her collarbone before looking up at him. "I don't want to be compelled."

Damon gave her a small smile, glancing away from her for a moment when the doors to the school opened again and several students filed out, Stefan and Caroline amongst them.

"I see my brother is still spending time with Barbie," he remarked, and Elena nodded.

"I don't know about them…" she said, tucking her hair behind her ear, and Damon glanced curiously at her.

"What do you mean?"

Elena bit her lip before turning back to him, looking slightly nervous. "He wouldn't… hurt her, would he?"

Damon scoffed. "Stefan? Hurt a human? Please; not a chance. Now, if Caroline over there has a pet bunny, I can't make any promises about _that_..."

Elena raised an eyebrow, walking toward her car. "Bunnies? What do bunnies have to do with anything?"

"Let's just say, Stefan has chosen… an alternate route to how he goes about… feeding."

Elena blinked for a moment, before hissing quietly, "He feeds on _bunnies…?_"

Damon nodded, mirroring her look of disgust. "Yup… a true saint. Unless you're the bunnies, of course."

Elena gave a small laugh, reaching for her car door, frowning when Damon's hand shot out, blocking her entrance. "Not so fast, princess; I came here to ask you something."

"What?" Elena asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Damon grinned. "The big founders' party is tonight, and I want _you _to come with me."

Elena groaned, trying to push past him to get into her car. "Why is everyone so obsessed with that stupid party?"

"Oh, come on," Damon said, shifting out of her way so she could open her door. "I'm bound to be a better date than Pacey Witter."

Elena flushed, turning her eyes to him as she pulled her door open. "_What…?_"

Damon smirked and tapped his ear. "Super hearing, remember? I happen to have overheard your entire conversation with my brother and his little girlfriend, right down to the _very _interesting fact that, instead of going to the biggest party of the year, you're staying home, watching reruns of _Dawson's Creek…?_"

"Shut _up!_" Elena groaned, swatting his arm and sliding into the driver's seat of her car. "What's so horrible about that, anyway? The founders' parties are boring and _it's a good show!_"

Damon rolled his eyes and shook his head, leaning into the car so she couldn't leave yet. "Alright, alright; I won't knock your show until I try it. But I _insist _that you come with me tonight. I won't take no for an answer."

"Oh yeah?" Elena asked. "_No._" Grinning deviously, she fiddled with her necklace. "You'll just have to compel yourself another date."

Smirking with obvious irritation, Damon shook his head. "So stubborn… I'll pick you up at six."

"What?" Elena asked as he stood up. "Damon, I said…!"

But, when she poked her head out of the car to yell at him, he had disappeared. Groaning, she slouched back in her seat and stared out the windshield.

Evidently, she had to find a dress.

… . … . … . … . … . …

"…and I think I should wear the blue, because it brings out my eyes, but the red is cute too and… _Stefan! _Are you even listening to me?"

Stefan glanced up at Caroline as she stood across her bedroom, frowning deeply at him as he sat on the edge of her bed. "Sorry… I was thinking."

"About what?" Caroline asked, going through her jewellery box in search of something to accessorize with for tonight.

Stefan shrugged. "I think my brother is asking Elena to the founders' party."

"Well, good. Maybe she'll finally get out of the house for once."

"What part of _he's not good for her, Caroline _did you not understand? Elena shouldn't be spending time with him. He's only going to hurt her."

Caroline rolled her eyes, dropping her blue dress onto the bed. "Why do you care so much? Honestly! It's not like she's your girlfriend, I am!"

"Is it so awful that I care about other people, Caroline?" Stefan asked, and Caroline frowned.

"You aren't being caring, you're being a jerk. Just let Elena and Damon be happy, and stop meddling. It's seriously none of your business."

Stefan's eyes narrowed. "It _is _my business, Caroline; he's my brother. I know him better than anyone-"

"And Elena is my _best friend! _So, if you know what's good for you, you'll just mind your own business before she gets hurt again."

Stefan began to interject before Caroline turned, walking over to her closet and producing two pairs of shoes.

"Pumps or flats?"

… . … . … . … . … . …

Sighing heavily with exasperation, Elena flung dress after dress from her closet across the room.

"_I have nothing to wear!_"

Jenna poked her head inside the room curiously, raising an eyebrow at Elena's clearly frazzled demeanor. "What are you so worked up about?"

"I'm going to that stupid founders' party, and I have no stupid dress to wear!"

Jenna blinked and walked over to wear her niece stood, surprised. "You're actually going to that thing? You hate founders' parties."

"I know. I don't _want _to go."

Jenna frowned with confusion. "Then why are you…?"

"Damon asked me, okay? He asked me, and… I couldn't say no." Elena shrugged, finding the truth in the phrase ironic. He truly hadn't given her the decision to say no.

Jenna grinned. "Damon Salvatore asked you to the founders' party?"

Elena blushed and nodded, riffling through more dress options. "Can we skip the whole gossipy part of this conversation and get straight to the part where you help me find a dress?"

Jenna smiled a bit, holding up a finger. "Give me a minute. I think I know exactly what you should wear."

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

"Well, don't you look dapper? Just where are you going?"

"You know perfectly well where I'm going, Stefan," Damon remarked as he adjusted his black suit jacket over his dark button down shirt, turning to face his brother, who was lurking in the doorway in a grey suit with a matching tie.

Stefan raised an eyebrow, entering Damon's room. "Actually, I don't so if you would care to enlighten me…"

"Well, the same place as you, of course," Damon smirked, "But with a much prettier girl."

Stefan's eyes narrowed and he scowled. "Why can't you just leave her alone, Damon? She's not one of your playthings."

Damon frowned, fiddling with his cufflinks. "Who said that she was? Elena is much more to me than just another 'plaything', as you would call it."

Stefan shook his head. "I'm warning you, Damon; if you touch a hair on her head-"

Damon rolled his eyes and brushed past Stefan, grabbing his wallet and stuffing it into his breast pocket. "Relax, _brother; _Elena actually happens to _like _me. So, if I, say, _wanted _to touch her hair, I highly doubt she would have any objections."

Stefan followed quickly after Damon as he exited the room and started down the stairs. "Damon, this isn't a game! What are you up to?"

"If I was up to something, I certainly wouldn't tell you," Damon stated, heading for the door without looking at his brother.

"Why is that?" Stefan asked, grabbing Damon's arm as he opened the door. "Maybe I could help you."

"Ha!" Damon scoffed, shrugging Stefan's hand off. "The last time you tried to _help me, _brother, we both got shot. So, don't take any offense when I say, 'No chance in hell."

With that, Damon stalked out the door, slamming it in Stefan's face. Stefan frowned, shaking his head with exasperation as he turned and headed back upstairs.

… . … . … . … . … . …

"It was your mom's favorite dress to wear to these things," Jenna said as she watched Elena twirl in the silky pink, floral dress before the mirror.

"I can remember her wearing it when I was little," Elena said with a small smile, pulling at the fabric of the skirt. "I always loved it on her. It made her look like a princess."

Jenna smiled, standing up from the edge of Elena's bed and walking over, touching Elena's shoulder as she stood behind her in the mirror. "Well, now you're the princess. Following honorably in your mom's footsteps."

Elena's smile slipped a bit and she looked down, pulling at the skirt again. "I wish she was here… She'd have been so excited that I was going."

Jenna nodded silently, rubbing Elena's arm in a soothing fashion. "Well, all the more reason to go, right?"

Elena nodded as she walked across the room to her dresser, picking up her straightener to finish her hair. Jenna crossed her arms over her chest, watching her niece fondly. "She'd be so proud of you… So would your dad. You've gotten through all of his so well…"

Placing her straightener down again and reaching for her mascara, Elena nodded once more. "I guess, yeah… It would have been better if it had never happened, but…"

Jenna had started to speak again when Jeremy walked in through the door to the bathroom, blinking when he saw Elena's outfit.

"Where are you going?" he asked, frowning a bit.

"The founders' party," Elena said, tucking her mascara into her clutch purse and closing it, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why? Those things are boring."

Sighing, Elena shrugged. "I was asked. It would have been rude to just turn down an offer to stay home and watch TV all night."

"By asked, you mean Damon, right?" Jeremy asked and Elena's cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink as she nodded.

"Yes, actually. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yeah, I do," Jeremy said, frowning. "The guy is bad news, Elena. I don't like him."

"Says the fifteen year old drug addict who's hopelessly in love with my ex-boyfriend's sister," Elena said, narrowing her eyes, "his sister who happens to be _bad news._"

"Don't talk about Vicki like that!" Jeremy snapped angrily. "You don't even know her!"

"Oh, I don't? I'm pretty sure I know her better than you, Jer, and-"

"Enough!" Jenna said, trying to usher Elena out of the room. "Your date is here."

Elena glanced out the window across the room, just now noticing the blue Camaro parked on the side of the street, her stomach doing nervous flip-flops when she saw Damon get out. Shooting Jeremy a warning glare, she hissed, "_Not one word,_" before following Jenna downstairs to the door.

Jeremy rolled his eyes and stalked back into his room, slamming the door behind him. She just didn't understand him.

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

Damon walked up the steps to Elena's porch and crossed over to the door, knocking a few times and stuffing his hands in his pockets as he waited. The door opened almost instantly, much to his surprise, and his eyes widened when he saw Elena standing beside Jenna.

Quite honestly, he had expected to have to drag her away from the TV and force her to put a dress on to get her to come with him. But here she was, looking absolutely _gorgeous, _perfectly ready to go.

_It all seemed too easy._

Slightly suspicious, Damon grinned and took a step inside, taking Elena's hand. "Well, don't you look _stunning?_"

He felt her blush when he brought her hand to his lips, and smirking against her skin. He looped her arm through his when he pulled her hand away, grinning at Jenna. "I'll have her home by no later than one, Jenna," he said, winking in a way he knew would make her unable to refuse.

"Okay…" she said, grinning back at them. "You two have fun…"

Elena waved goodbye to her aunt and followed Damon outside, giving a small gasp once the door shut behind them and he grabbed her wrists, spinning her around so her back was pressed against his chest.

"You look beautiful…" he whispered in her ear. "_Too _beautiful. When I asked you, you didn't even want to come. I sense a catch…"

Elena shivered and blushed, trying to wiggle free, finding it, unsurprisingly, impossible. "What, I can't be cooperative for once?" she asked, turning her head up to look at him.

"Honestly?" Damon raised an eyebrow, releasing her. "No. You're far too stubborn, Miss Gilbert."

Elena rolled her eyes, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I just… want to have a good time. Okay? Like you promised? I'm sick of staying home all the time… I want to prove to Caroline that the fun me still exists."

Damon smirked, taking her arm again and starting down the steps. "Well, if that's all you want, I can most definitely oblige."

Elena carefully slid into the passenger's seat when he opened her door, making sure her dress wasn't caught before she allowed him to close it, fastening her seatbelt as he climbed in.

"So, why do you want to go to this party, anyway?" Elena asked as he started the car and pulled away from the curb. "I'd have thought it was too boring for you."

Damon shrugged as he drove, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'm not exactly going for the party itself."

Elena frowned with confusion, shaking her head. "Well, if you're not going for the party, what are you going for?"

Glancing at her for a moment, Damon turned his eyes back to the road before he spoke. "I have something in the Lockwood mansion that I need to get back."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "You're friends with the Lockwoods?"

Damon rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I hid it there in 1864, Elena. Technically it isn't the Lockwood's, either. It's one of those artifact things from this towns' ancestors…" Damon waved a hand dismissively. "To get to the point, I need it. I figured we could help each other out with this one."

Elena frowned, shifting nervously. "What do you mean?"

"It's simple; I'm new in town. Nobody knows me, thus I don't have an invitation to this _lovely _little party. You're a great great great great lots more greats granddaughter of Jonathon Gilbert, one of the founders. So, if I was your date…"

"…you could get in and steal what it is you want," Elena said with a frown.

"It's not stealing if it's mine," Damon said, rolling his eyes. Elena's frown deepened.

"Just what am I getting out of this, exactly?"

"Exactly what you want; a good time," Damon said with a smirk, and Elena cast her eyes away, frowning out the window.

"I can't believe you're using me…"

Damon raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. "I'm not using you. I just need your help."

"You lied to me! You made me think you actually wanted to be there with me, when all you really want is your stupid _artifact._"

"Why does it matter so much?" Damon asked, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "It's not like I'm your boyfriend!"

Elena frowned and glared out the window. "Take me home, Damon."

"_What?_"

"Take me home!"

"You've got to be kidding me," Damon said, shaking his head. "Elena, you're blowing this _way _out of proportion! I need to take five minutes to get what I came for, and then the rest of the night I'll be spending with _you! _Don't be such a drama queen."

Frowning angrily, she silently shook her head as he pulled into the Lockwood's driveway and parked behind a row of other cars. "Are you coming or not?" he asked, and she glared over at him.

"Why should I?"

Rolling his eyes, he turned to her, taking a deep breath. "_Because; _if I had wanted to come alone just to get what I want, I'd have just compelled the people who live here to let me in. But I invited you. Believe it or not, I actually wouldn't mind having a good time tonight. So, either you can come in with me, and we'll dance and drink expensive booze, or you can sit here and wait in the car while I go inside, and then I'll take you home. It's your decision."

Elena frowned, remaining where she was for a moment before unbuckling her seatbelt. "Fine," she mumbled, opening her door, "but only because you'll look like a loser if you go in alone."

Damon smirked, climbing out of the car and walking over to where she stood, offering her his arm. "Miss Gilbert, shall we?"

Sighing softly, she looped her arm through his and followed him up the driveway.

This was bound to be an interesting night.

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

"Hey, look! There's Damon and Elena."

Stefan looked up when Caroline pointed before she grabbed a flute of champagne from one of the trays, making sure her mother was nowhere to be seen. Stefan's hazel eyes narrowed when he noticed the less than thrilled expression on Elena's face, frowning as Carol Lockwood invited his brother into her home.

_Big mistake, _he thought, keeping out of sight and watching as Damon and Elena headed toward the refreshment table.

"Elena doesn't look happy," he muttered, and Caroline looked more closely at her friend, frowning when she came to the same conclusion.

"I wonder what's up with her."

"Why don't you talk to her?" Stefan suggested, seeing a perfect window of opportunity to figure out what his brother was up to.

"Yeah…" Caroline nodded, beginning to walk over. Stefan followed quickly in pursuit.

"Elena!"

Elena looked up from the strawberry she had been about to eat when she heard Caroline call her name, plastering on a small smile.

"Hey," she said, dropping the berry with surprise when Caroline flung her arms around her in a tight hug.

"You came!" Caroline exclaimed happily, and Elena nodded, giving her a small hug in return.

"Yeah, I did." She smiled a bit, examining Caroline's dress. "You look great!"

"Thanks!" Caroling gave a giggle, grabbing her hand. "Can I talk to you, in the ladies room? It's super important."

Elena blinked with confusion but nodded, following Caroline as she dragged her away. Damon frowned as he watched her go, sipping at the glass of champagne he had grabbed, grimacing at the taste.

"This stuff is awful," he complained as Stefan stood beside him. "Leave it to the Lockwood's to cheap out…"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Not everyone can afford the top brands of alcohol, Damon. Especially when it's being served to over a hundred people."

Damon shrugged, taking another reluctant sip. "Just an excuse…"

"So," Stefan said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "What's wrong with Elena?"

"Hmm?" Damon asked, taking the glass from his lips. "What do you mean? Elena's fine."

"She didn't look fine. She looked pissed, actually," Stefan said, cocking his head. "What did you do, Damon?"

Damon shrugged. "We had an argument. Couples tend to do that. It's really none of your business, Stefan."

Stefan frowned. "Well, you might as well tell me yourself. Caroline is going to get it out of her, anyway, and then she'll tell me."

Damon scowled, narrowing his icy blue eyes. "Don't test me, Stefan. Keep your nose out of my business."

"Well, we all know that's not going to happen any time soon, so…"

Damon glared, brushing past his brother. "Stefan, if you want to annoy a Salvatore, go bite Zach. I have more important things to do."

Stefan frowned, watching Damon go; _What were these "important things"?_

… . … . … . … . … . …

"Okay, spill. What's your deal?"

Elena frowned as Caroline leaned against the bathroom door, blocking her exit. "What do you mean, what's my deal? I'm fine."

"No, you aren't. You came in here looking like you were ready to slap someone. I know you hate stuff like this, but usually you at least _pretend _to enjoy yourself."

Elena frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm _fine. _Okay? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date to get to-"

"It's him, isn't it?" Caroline asked as she flung an arm out so Elena couldn't escape. "Damon did something."

"Caroline, can you please just mind your own business? I know that my life may be just a source for gossip for you, but it's real for me, and I'd really appreciate getting back out there and living it."

Caroline frowned, moving aside. "Fine…"

Elena opened the door, turning back to look at Caroline for a moment. "One more thing; the next time Stefan wants dirt on Damon, tell him to come to me himself."

Caroline blinked, her blue eyes wide as the door swung shut in her face again.

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

"What was that all about?" Damon asked as he met Elena down the hall from the washroom, offering her a flute of champagne.

Elena sighed, taking the glass from him and taking a small sip as they remained in the quiet hallway. "Just typical Caroline being her usual nosey self."

Damon frowned. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing," Elena said, leaning against the wall and taking another sip. "I didn't tell her about your precious _artifact, _don't worry."

Sighing, Damon took her hand and led her toward the staircase. "Don't be angry with me. Please, Elena? This isn't how I wanted tonight to play out for either of us."

"Oh? How _did _you want it to play out, Damon?"

She was glaring at him now, clutching her glass of champagne tightly. Damon dropped her hand and gestured to the stairs. "Come upstairs with me. We'll get what I need, and then I'll tell you everything. I promise."

Elena frowned, glancing at the stairs. "What do you need to tell me?"

Offering her his hand, he looked back to her. "I'm going to tell you what I need it for. You're either going to hate me when you find out, or, very unlikely, offer to help me. Either way, you deserve to know before I do it."

Elena narrowed her eyes nervously, shaking her head. Finally, she sighed and started up the stairs, lifting her skirt so that she wouldn't trip. "_Fine._"

Following after her, Damon ran a hand through his hair.

Once they were gone, Caroline stepped out from the shadows, a confused look of suspicion in her blue eyes. She had heard their entire strange conversation, and knew one thing for certain;

She had to tell Stefan.

… . … . … . … . … . …

Elena frowned as Damon closed the door to Mayor Lockwood's office, which was full of old objects on every surface. "I really don't think we're supposed to be in here…" she said nervously, watching Damon lock the door.

"I really don't care," he mumbled, walking across the room, evidently searching for something.

"If we get caught-"

"We won't get caught," Damon said, standing up straight quickly as his eyes locked on something, reaching across one of the tables in the room and grabbing a small jewellery box from behind a vase of roses.

"A box?" Elena asked skeptically. "You were all worked up over a _box…?_"

Rolling his eyes, Damon pulled a small brass key from his jacket pocket and slid it into the keyhole, turning it. The box opened immediately, and Elena coughed at the dust it let off. "Sorry," Damon mumbled as he pulled various things out; pearls, diamond necklaces, numerous rings.

"So… you needed jewels?"

"Not jewels," Damon muttered, clearly growing irritated with all of her questions. "A specific jewel; a crystal."

Popping open a secret compartment at the bottom of the box, Damon produced an amber colored crystal, and Elena frowned with confusion, not seeing what was so special about it. If anything, all of the other jewels had looked much nicer. "What's so special about _that?_"

"This," Damon said slowly, holding the object up to the light, "is the key to opening the tomb underneath Fell's Church."

Elena paused for a moment, a frown settling on her features. Slowly, her frown began to deepen with horror. "You mean… you mean the tomb that Bree said… the tomb _Katherine _is in?"

Slowly, Damon nodded. "The one and only."

Elena took a small step back. "Katherine… as in the vampire who turned you, and looks _exactly like me…?_"

Damon nodded again. "Yes."

"But… why?" Elena asked softly, leaning against the door. "Why would you want to let her out, after all this time…?"

"Because…" Damon said, tilting his head. "I love her, Elena…"

Tears filled Elena's eyes. After all this time, he still loved her. He really had only cared about her because she looked like Katherine. Now, he had used her to help get her out of the tomb.

Damon didn't care about her at all.

Choking back a sob, she tossed the contents of her champagne in his face, tears sliding down her cheeks. "_Go to hell, Damon_," she hissed, tossing the champagne flute to the floor and unlocking the door, dashing from the room as the glass shattered everywhere.

Damon blinked with shock as he wiped the champagne on his sleeve, listening as her sobs disappeared down the hall. He glanced down at the crystal in his hand, not noticing Stefan enter the room.

"_Are you insane?_"


	10. The Tomb

_**Previously in "Firsts"…**_

_Damon blinked with shock as he wiped the champagne on his sleeve, listening as her sobs disappeared down the hall. He glanced down at the crystal in his hand, not noticing Stefan enter the room._

_ "Are you insane?"_

… . … . … . … . … . … . … . … . … . … . … . … . … . …

Damon's eyes narrowed with irritation as he glared at his little brother. Stefan had stormed into the room and his hazel eyes were wild.

"You _cannot _let Katherine out of that tomb. You _can't! _Have you even thought about how that will affect Elena? Have you even thought about what Katherine might do to someone who looks just like her? She doesn't like competition, Damon; it gets in the way of her damn games!"

"Why do you care so much?" Damon snapped as he inconspicuously pocketed the crystal. "The last time I checked, you were Blondie's boyfriend, not Elena's."

Stefan's eyes narrowed as he advanced on his brother. "Is it such a bad thing for me to feel compassion toward more than one person, Damon?"

"I do feel compassion, _brother,_" Damon hissed through clenched teeth.

"For _Katherine,_" Stefan hissed back, positively glaring. "She toyed with us, Damon! How can you still love her?"

"Because I always have!" Damon yelled, pushing Stefan away. "Unlike _you!_"

"You're not doing this," Stefan snarled. "I won't let you!"

"How're you going to stop me, Stefan? You're certainly not strong enough."

Damon sneered as he spoke and he made his way out of the room, Stefan following closely behind.

"How do you think you're going to get her out? You'd need a witch, Damon!"

Damon smirked slightly as he walked down the staircase. "I _have _a witch, Stefan," he remarked, and Stefan froze with shock.

"You _what…_?"

"Actually, I had two witches. One of them became a problem, and had to be exterminated."

Stefan narrowed his eyes further. "Who did you kill, Damon?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "That's no concern of yours, brother; none of this is. I plan on getting Katherine out, and then I'll be gone for good."

The smirk on Damon's lips sent a shiver down Stefan's spine, and his next words made Damon freeze in his path toward the door.

"What about Elena? Forget about what Katherine will do to her; she _cares _about you, Damon. At least, she did. Why would you throw that away for a woman who may not return your obsessive feelings?"

Damon clenched his fists. "Katherine _does _care about me…!"

"You're dodging my question, _brother._"

Whirling, Damon threw his hands up with exasperation. "What about her, Stefan? She's human; she'll forget about me in a few months and move on, just like they always do. It's not like I was her boyfriend!"

Stefan shook his head, walking straight up to Damon and staring into his eyes, searching desperately for any sign of the brother he used to know; of his brother's humanity.

"But will you forget about her?"

Damon stared his brother down threw cold blue eyes, swallowing a bit hard as an unrecognizable emotion flickered through them. He was brought back briefly to that night in Georgia; Elena singing, Elena crying, _kissing _Elena…

"Yes. I'll forget about her."

Without another word, Damon turned and blurred out the back door of the mansion, leaving Stefan standing in the door frame, the chill of the cool night sweeping over him. Running a hand through his brown hair, he shook his head and closed the door, heading off in search of Caroline.

Outside, Damon stopped running and leaned against a tree deep in the forest, putting a hand to his head. Damn Stefan. Damn him and his insightful inquisition. Of course, he was going to let Katherine out; he owed it to her. He… loved her.

But there was no way he'd be able to just _forget _Elena Gilbert.

… . … . … . … . … . …

Jenna looked up from her book with confusion when she heard the door open. Elena couldn't be back yet; it had only been around two hours.

"Elena?" she asked, getting to her feet and walking out of the living room. Her eyes widened when she saw the tearful state her niece was in, and she rushed forward. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she croaked, shoving past Jenna and bolting for the stairs.

"Elena!" Jenna yelled, dashing after her just as she reached her room.

"_Leave me alone!_"

Jenna flinched when Elena slammed her door and she heard the lock slide into place, followed in suit by hysterical sobbing. Gritting her teeth, she stalked down the stairs and shook her head. "That bastard…"

… . . … . … . … . …

Collapsing on her bed, Elena curled up into a ball of emotional agony, sobbing heavily into her pillow. How could he have done this to her? She had cared about him, and she'd thought he cared about her…

_But it's always been Katherine, _that incessant voice in the back of her mind purred mockingly, _you were just a toy; a meaningless practice object he used until he got the real thing._

She had wanted to find out if Damon cared, and she had gotten her answer. It just hadn't been the answer she wanted.

Sitting up, she furiously yanked the golden, crow patterned locket from around her throat and tossed it across the room, watching with satisfaction as it burst open and the vervain scattered along her floor. How could she have been so stupid? So naïve…

_Stefan was right, _she thought, _He really is nothing but a bastard… an evil, manipulative, undeserving bastard… _

Her fingers quivering, she picked up her phone and dialed Bonnie's number. It felt like it had been days since she'd seen her best friend and, in reality, it had been. Bonnie hadn't been in school, but she had been too wrapped up in all of her Damon Drama to notice until now.

Of course, Bonnie didn't pick up. The phone rang at least fifteen times before Elena simply gave up, tossing the phone across the room with frustration and pent up anger, mostly at herself.

_How could she have been so stupid?_

… . … . … . … . … . … . … . … . …

"What the hell is going on?"

"Less talk, little girl; I need your help."

Bonnie glared angrily as she attempted to tug her arm free from Damon Salvatore's vicelike grip.

"Let me go! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Damon rolled his eyes, tugging her in a flash behind the Grill where he had found her, making her cry out with shock.

"I know your secret, Bonnie, and you're going to help me with something."

Bonnie looked around wildly, screaming at the top of her lungs. "_HELP…!_"

Growling softly, Damon grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, staring into her eyes. "Shut your damn mouth. Now."

Compelled, Bonnie did as she was told.

"Now, let me continue," smirking, Damon released her arms. "I know you're a witch, Bonnie, and you're going to help me with a spell that your ancestor cast, in order to help me get back something _very_ important."

Bonnie's eyes went wide. "You… you know… how…?"

"You're a Bennett. It was obvious."

"My ancestor…? What spell?"

Lounging against the wall, Damon grinned. "Your ancestor, Emily Bennett, came to Mystic Falls in 1864 with a woman named Katherine Pierce; a woman who is currently locked in a tomb under Fell's Church." A frown pulling at his lips, Damon said more icily, "A woman I want back."

"What makes you so sure I can help you?" Bonnie asked, not fully processing what he was saying. "I only know a few spells, and I've only known that I was a witch since recently…"

"You're a Bennett," Damon said again, his tone growing more clipped with every moment that passed. "Ergo, you're powerful. You could do this with your eyes closed."

Bonnie frowned, taking a step closer to him. "What would you want with someone who's been trapped under a church for centuries? All that will be left is bones."

Damon snorted. "Oh, naïve little Bonnie… Don't tell me your Grammy didn't teach you about _vampires…_"

Bonnie froze with her eyes wide. "_What?_"

Blurring forward, Damon extended his fangs and pinned Bonnie to the wall by her neck, his tone menacing. "_You're going to do this spell, or I'll tear out your jugular._"

Screaming with terror, Bonnie felt the sharp fangs pierce the skin of her throat.

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

Elena sighed heavily as she ran a hand through her hair, gazing at herself in her mirror. She had showered and gotten into a pair of her PJs, and was prepared to do nothing but sleep for the rest of the weekend. Sleep, and maybe cry. Maybe she'd even watch the Notebook. But that was just so she could have a valid reason to explain her constant tears to Jenna.

Sighing, she sat down on the edge of her bed and glanced over at the broken locket across the room. She had gotten past the angry stage, and now she just felt as broken as the necklace. Broken, useless, worthless; the whole bit. She should have known better.

"_A love that consumes me,_" she quoted, scoffing. "Right. Thanks for failing to mention that you were going to toss me to the side for my doppelganger…"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Elena pulled back her blankets and crawled under the covers, flicking her light off and closing her eyes. She knew that Damon wasn't worth her tears.

But that didn't stop her from crying herself to sleep.

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

"I can't do it," Bonnie croaked miserably as Damon towed her toward Fell's Church through the dark graveyard. "I'm not strong enough… I don't even know the spell…"

"Figure it out," Damon said, stepping over the ruined stone wall of the church and stomping roughly on a spot on the old floor until it collapsed beneath him and he landed gracefully, catlike, tugging Bonnie down with him. She screamed with terror and Damon, once again, rolled his eyes.

"Don't be such a baby," he grumbled, turning around in the darkness and grinning with almost boyish excitement as he saw the writing on the wall; the door to the tomb. The door to Katherine; the door to his happiness…

"I have to open _that?_" Bonnie asked breathlessly, knowing then and there that this would inevitably be the death of her, one way or another. "I can't possibly…!"

"_Try!_" Damon shouted, snatching her hand up and dropping the amber crystal into her palm, pointing to the door. "Now; use your witchy juju and that thing to get her out."

"_I don't know how!_"

Damon glared, grabbing her neck and yanking her to him, staring down into her frightened eyes. "You're lying," he muttered icily, and she squirmed in his grip. "You do know; you just won't do it."

Bonnie's eyes turned just as icy as his at that, and she glared back up at him. "How stupid do you really think I am? I've spent the past week and a half with my Grams!"

"And what did the Queen Witch teach you?" Damon asked, tightening his grip.

"About my ancestors," Bonnie wheezed, maintaining her glare. "About Emily. _About what she did._"

"Then you know how to undo it."

"But I won't."

"_Why?_" Damon yelled, tossing her to the ground. "You do the spell, I get Katherine and I let you live. You don't, I kill you. I don't know about you, Bonnie, but I don't really see another option here."

Rubbing her neck, Bonnie shook her head. "I won't do it because Emily put those vampires in there for a reason. To protect people like _me _from them. Why in hell would I jeopardise what's worked for the past century and a half?"

"Because if you don't let out one of the vampires in there, _nothing _is going to protect you from the one out here."

Bonnie's resolve slipped a bit as she realized it was true; Grams had only told her about vampires, and told her there were spells that could protect her. The thing was, she hadn't gotten around to actually _teaching _them to her yet. Either she opened that tomb, or she died.

_But, if you open that tomb, many others will die at your expense, _a velvety voice said in the back of her mind, and Bonnie couldn't place who it was that was speaking. But she knew the voice was right.

"If I let Katherine out, you two will probably massacre all of Mystic Falls. Why in hell would I help you do that?"

"Once again; if you don't help me, I can kill all of them on my own just as easily as I can kill you."

The sadistic grin on Damon's lips made Bonnie realize he was entirely serious. He would murder them all and not feel a drop of guilt. People, monsters like Damon Salvatore didn't feel guilty. Glaring, Bonnie slowly got to her feet. "Promise to leave town as soon as she's out. Promise me that, and I'll do it."

Damon smirked with satisfaction and lounged against one of the dusty walls, nodding. "I give you my word, Witchy; give me my vampire, and you have two of them out of your hair for good. It's two for the price of one."

Bonnie didn't laugh at his joke, and placed the crystal in the palm of her hand, standing in the moonlight so that it cast glittering patterns on the door, and she hesitantly began to murmur the words Grams had taught her a few days ago.

"_Maledicite solis qui custodit vos intus, confringe maledictio, quæ ligat muros hos. Monstra dimittere lunam errare eos libera me magno pretio o. Pigeat, nascetur CORUSCO, et sanguis volare, sed non erit qui sentiunt fortiores I. Quibus fractis medetur sum qui percussit muros recepit nocturna animalia misit tenebras. Back ad libertatem est. Ad diem malum, moenia surgunt!_"

Watching with a lifted eyebrow, Damon scowled when nothing happened. "It's not _working, _Bonnie…"

"I'm trying!" she yelled, squeezing her eyes shut with frustration. She wasn't ready for this level of magic. She hadn't practiced enough. Why the hell couldn't he see that?

"_Try harder._"

Shaking with anger, Bonnie slowly repeated the words, and somehow the emotion seemed to fuel the power, for the symbol on the door began to glow a fiery red, then an orange, then a blazing bright yellow, and flames erupted around her as the door slowly slid open.

"_Pigeat, nascetur CORUSCO, et sanguis volare, sed non erit qui sentiunt fortiores I. Quibus fractis medetur sum qui percussit muros recepit nocturna animalia misit tenebras. Back ad libertatem est. Ad diem malum, moenia surgunt!_"

Smirking with satisfaction, Damon started forward. "Keep it up, Witchy; we're almost done here."

_Yes, we are, _Bonnie thought as he entered the tomb, and she attempted to stop chanting. But she couldn't. She wasn't used to this kind of magic, and she knew now that she never should have attempted it. It was taking her over; operating on its own. As much as she wanted to stop and slam that stone door shut behind Damon, she _couldn't._

Within the tomb, Damon pulled a small flashlight and a bag of blood from his inner suit jacket pocket, flicking the light on and shining it around as he walked deeper.

"Oh Miss Katherine," he said with a grin, shining the light over the numerous mummy like creatures surrounding him. "I brought you something to drink…"

Damon continued to search, certain that she must have been put in fairly deep in the tomb, frowning when he still didn't find her. Had he missed her? He looked over the bodies again; nope. Once more; still nothing. Yet another time, just to be sure; no sign of the curly brown hair he had spent the past hundred years of his life missing.

"Katherine…?"

No response.

Katherine Pierce wasn't here. No matter how many bodies he pushed over in search of her, Katherine was nowhere in sight.

_Katherine wasn't in the tomb._

Immediately, Damon's memory flashed back to a conversation he'd had a few weeks ago.

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

_"You're just wasting your time, baby cakes; Katherine ain't in that tomb."_

_ "What the hell makes you think that?" he hissed at Bree. Damon had stalked into the bar early that morning before he and Elena had headed home, determined to find out what she was keeping from him. He hadn't very much liked her answer._

_ "A few weeks ago? A woman came into my bar. I thought; gosh, she looks familiar. Real pretty thing; brown eyes, long, wavy brown hair, and a great rack. I couldn't place where I'd seen her before."_

_ "Don't be stupid," Damon said with a roll of his eyes. "You've never even seen Katherine before. How would you know it was her?"_

_ "Oh, honey pie," Bree said with a harsh laugh. "You really ought to keep a better watch on your old photos. That one from Katherine's funeral that went missing after we hooked up? The one you spent years looking for?"_

_ Reaching behind the bar, Bree pulled out an old, faded piece of paper. "Here's how I knew it was her."_

_ Damon snatched the brittle paper away from the witch so quickly that it tore it half, making him exhale a horrified, short breath. He was staring at the upper half of Katherine's head, from the eyes up, with the date of her birth (rumored birth) and her death marked on it. _

_ "You bitch," Damon croaked, glaring as he clenched his fists and let the paper float to the ground. "Why the hell did you take it?"_

_ Bree shrugged. "I figured if you needed to look for something missing, you might stay a little longer. I'd get a bit more sex. Of course, that didn't work for long." She narrowed her eyes. "I was stupid then. I'm not now. Don't even try to compel me; I put vervain in every damn thing I drink."_

_ Hissing furiously as his fangs extended, Damon grabbed Bree's neck and pinned her down against the bar. "Katherine is in that tomb," he snarled, tightening his strangle hold on her. "And, when I get her out, we're going to have a great little buffet of everyone you've ever loved."_

_ With that, he thrust his hand into her chest and squeezed her heart roughly before yanking it from her body, watching the light fade from her eyes._

… . … . … . … . … . … . … . …

"She's not here…"

Damon looked around frantically, unable to believe his eyes. "No. No, no, no…"

She wouldn't do this to him. Katherine wouldn't lead him on. She wouldn't have allowed him to chase her for years like this. She loved him, and he loved her, and they had to be together…

"No… no, you have to be here… You were supposed to be here…"

Tossing a body to the side with such force that its head snapped off, Damon gave an agonized howl of rage.

"_SHE'S NOT HERE!_"

Tossing the back of blood and his flashlight aside, Damon blurred out of the tomb at top speed and grabbed the still chanting Bonnie, tossing her against the wall, causing her to pass out from exhaustion, not to mention whacking her head against the rock.

"See this, Emily?" he yelled, his voice echoing through the night as he grabbed Bonnie and tossed her across the room again at top speed. "_Do you see this, you dead fucking lying bitch? Remember when I promised to protect your damn bloodline? Huh? Do you? In exchange for Katherine? Well, Emily…_"

Rushing forward, Damon grabbed Bonnie's limp body and tossed her over his shoulder.

"_Deal's off!_"


	11. A New Problem

Bonnie's head was pounding. Releasing a small groan, she forced her eyes open a crack, trying to look around at her surroundings. From what she could feel, the ground she was lying on was cold and damp, and the air was icy. She was outside.

"Hello?" she called, her voice crackling with lack of usage, squirming a bit with discomfort. She didn't appear to be restrained, which was a relief. But she knew she was far from safe. Finally getting her eyes open wide enough to see, she realized she was sitting in the middle of a clearing. The moon was shining down, filtering through the filmy clouds in the sky, turning everything an eerie blue color. She also wasn't alone.

"So, the witch finally wakes…"

Jumping, Bonnie's head whipped around, expecting Damon Salvatore to be lurking directly behind her, ready to pounce and do her in. But he wasn't. He was sitting a few feet away from her on the grass, a flask in one hand, his eyes hooded with drunkenness and his hair a mess from running. He looked like hell, basically, and a part of her felt bad for him. The problem was she couldn't remember anything that had happened after he dragged her away from the Grill. Was this his doing? Or was it something to do with the pounding in her head? Either way, the vampire across from her was somehow guilty.

"What did you do to me? Where are we?" she asked, fidgeting with nervousness as his eyes turned to her.

"We're in the middle of the woods," Damon stated as though it should be obvious, "and your ancestor pissed me off, so I tossed you into a wall." He snickered at that, a cruel, uncaring smirk curling his lips. "I think the question you should be asking, Witchy," he waggled a long finger at her, "is when I'm going to kill you…"

Bonnie swallowed roughly at his words, moving backward a bit and wincing when she did so. "What do you mean, my ancestor pissed you off? What did Emily do?"

"She lied. About what isn't important," Damon muttered with his eyes void of emotion as he took another swig of what smelled like extremely strong bourbon from his flask.

"Well why did you feel the need to toss me into a wall over something Emily lied to you about? I'm not Emily!" Bonnie cried, clenching her fists with irritation and Damon scoffed, turning his drunken face back to her.

"Yes you are," he slurred, getting to his feet and staggering slightly. "Let me tell you something, _Bonnie; _all witches are the same. Endless promises and witchy hoo-ha, and then they never follow through. They're fickle bitches, and you should be thanking me for preventing you from becoming one."

Bonnie scowled, struggling to her feet, her aching legs trembling slightly, doing her best to stand tall in front of the insufferable asshole in front of her. "You know nothing about witches, _or _their motives! If Emily lied to you, then she had good reason! It's _vampires _who can't be trusted! Vampires rip, tear, and kill to selfishly get what they want and, if they don't, they kill some more, just for the hell of it. How is your _race _any better than mine?"

"At least we're honest about everything," Damon said, a sound that was almost a giggle passing through his lips. "If I'm gonna kill you, I'll tell you; I won't cover it up with spells and empty promises. Because that's what witches do, isn't it? They lie to get what _they _want…"

"Witches don't lie," Bonnie said with her eyes narrowed. "If we were liars, we would have been wiped out centuries ago. Nothing good ever comes from lying."

"Oh, I know that," Damon said, taking a step closer. "Emily's about to find that out for herself."

Bonnie instinctively took a step backward, her survival instincts kicking in. "Killing me won't hurt Emily. She doesn't care about me."

"She doesn't, does she?" Damon asked, hiking an eyebrow as he stepped closer again. "Then why did she make me promise to protect the Bennett witches back in 1864? That sounds like she cares…"

"She only cares about the bloodline continuing! The power! What's the point in killing me when there are others scattered across the country?"

"I'll kill them, too," Damon said, shrugging as he blurred forward and dropped his flask, grabbing Bonnie's neck. She gasped and squirmed, her eyes wild with panic.

"You can't… kill me…!"

"_Why not? What in hell in stopping me?_" Damon growled, tightening his grip.

Bonnie gasped and spluttered for breath for a moment before finally wheezing out, "Elena…!"

Damon scowled at the mention of the name, but he loosened his grip slightly, interested in seeing how the witch planned to talk her way out of this one. "I don't give a shit about _Elena,_ and Elena doesn't give a shit about _me!_ I have the champagne on my shirt to prove it."

Bonnie wiggled in his grip and tried to shake her head, gasping in a deep breath when Damon dropped her to the ground and glared down at her. Coughing, she muttered, "She likes you… She _really _likes you… She's told me…"

"Well, she doesn't anymore," Damon sneered, picking up his flask again.

"Why not?" Bonnie asked, coughing again, and Damon paused the flask at his lips, rehashing their words from earlier that night at the party.

_"I love her, Elena…"_

_ "Go to hell, Damon!" _

"Because I broke her heart," he said with his voice a bit softer as he shrugged, seemingly brushing it off, swigging from the flask. "Not that it matters, anyway; she'll move on. She'll probably get back with that Mutt guy or something…"

"_Matt_," Bonnie corrected, shaking her head, "and why would you break her heart? Are you really that self-destructive?"

"I was in love with someone else," Damon said through clenched teeth, his eyes hardening again as they snapped back to Bonnie. "No more questions. Elena doesn't matter. The other girl doesn't matter. You don't matter. _Nothing matters._"

"So you're just going to kill me?" Bonnie asked and glared with her arms crossed over her chest. Sneering, Damon grabbed his jacket and shrugged it on, shaking his head.

"No. You've taken all the fun out of it."

"How have I…?" Bonnie started to ask, almost offended at his words, and she jumped when he was suddenly directly in front of her, his eyes shifting as they gazed deeply into hers.

"Go home. Forget any of this happened. You got super drunk at the Grill and got lost after you left."

Bonnie nodded vacantly and Damon flipped open his flask again, biting into his wrist and drizzling a trail of his blood into it before forcing it into her mouth. If she was going to pass herself off as drunk, she might as well make it believable. Not to mention, she wouldn't be able to explain most of the crazy injuries she'd obtained when he tossed her around.

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

"Hey. Where were you last night? I tried to call you, but you didn't answer…"

"_Oh, God; don't go there. I got so drunk at the Grill last night… I got lost on my way home. My head is killing me…_"

Elena raised an eyebrow at Bonnie's strange response, switching the ear that her phone was pressed to as she riffled through one of the cabinets in search of a decent breakfast cereal. "That doesn't sound like you… Is everything okay?"

"_Fine, I guess. I don't even remember why I went, to be honest._"

Guilt seeped into Elena's stomach as she placed the box of Frosted Flakes on the counter and moved to lean against it, giving Bonnie all of her attention. She hadn't been a good friend lately. She hadn't been a good friend since she'd met _Damon Salvatore. _She didn't even know where Bonnie had been the past few weeks. "I haven't seen you in ages. Why haven't you been at school?"

"_I've been… helping my Grams. She's old; crazy old lady. She needs someone to look after her, and my dad is always too busy…_"

"But you're home now," Elena said, her voice slightly hopeful. She wanted Bonnie to come back to classes. Caroline was just so… _Caroline. _One could only handle her in small doses, and Elena needed a _real _best friend. She needed _Bonnie. _

"_Yeah. I can't miss too much Algebra, now can I?_"

"Oh, God," Elena groaned, shaking her head at the mention of the impossible math subject. "I am _failing _so badly! Ms. Emm couldn't teach to save her life!" A slightly playful pout found its way to Elena's lips, and she almost laughed. "I need you…"

"_Well, don't worry. Your math tutor will be back in action on Monday, as soon as her hangover is gone._"

Elena gave a genuine laugh at that, shaking her head. "Okay. Get some sleep, and keep the curtains closed. Don't want any migraines, now do we?"

Bonnie laughed on the other end, and Elena felt herself swell with relief. "_Yeah, you're right. I'll see you on Monday._"

The girls said their goodbyes, and Elena frowned when she hung up. She had heard the front door open, and couldn't help feeling a bit nervous; Jenna was supposed to be at the library all day, and Jeremy had left at the crack of dawn to go God knows where with his "friends"…

She jumped when she turned around and came face to face with Stefan Salvatore, the usual, easy going attitude he put on around Caroline nowhere in sight.

"Has Damon been here?" he asked her, and Elena scowled at the mention of his brother's name, crossing her arms over her chest, her voice cold and quipped.

"No, he hasn't. I'd appreciate it if he kept the trend and stayed the hell away from me, forever."

Stefan brushed past her and glanced untrustingly out the window, and Elena's scowl deepened. "Just what gives you the right to barge into my house, uninvited, and…" She trailed off, confusion obvious on her face. "Wait… I _didn't invite you in. _How in _hell _are you even in here?"

"Caroline dragged me here a few weeks ago looking for you and Jenna invited us in while she went to see if you were upstairs. Instant access."

"Whatever," Elena said, shaking her head. "That still doesn't give you the right to barge into my house whenever you please."

Stefan frowned, his eyes sincere. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to check on you. If Damon had gotten to you, there's no telling what he might have done…"

"Well, he didn't," Elena said, exiting the kitchen and pointing toward the exit. "There's the door. Next time, try knocking."

Unlike his older brother, who Elena knew all too well would have pressed her with some kind of witty remark about why she was in such a feisty mood, Stefan simply nodded. "I will," he said quietly, exiting without bothering her any further. Whether or not Elena admitted it, she was glad he hadn't nagged at her for answers. The last thing she wanted to talk about at the moment was Damon Salvatore. _Especially _with his brother.

… . … . … . … . … . … . … . …

"You're back."

Zack Salvatore blinked with disbelief when Damon swaggered through the door, alone, and walking straight past him toward the stairs.

"Yes, I am," Damon said, not pausing to look at the dimwitted human behind him. "If I were you, I wouldn't test me right now; I'm in the mood to kill someone, and family _really _doesn't matter to me."

Zack's eyes narrowed as he trailed along up the stairs after Damon, following him into his room and watching him pack. "Where is she?"

"Where is who?" Damon asked, still not acknowledging him with his eyes as he tossed various shirts into his leather-bound suitcase.

"Don't be an idiot with me," Zack said, his usual scowl returning. "_Katherine._"

"I see Stefan didn't fail to pass on the town gossip to you, now did he?" Damon asked, his irritation slowly growing as he finished with emptying the closet of shirts and moved on to his pants drawer.

"Yeah, he did," Zack said, taking a step forward. "How stupid are you? Do you honestly think bringing an ancient vampire back into this town is going to do anyone any good? Have you even considered what she'll do to Elena...?"

"Why does everyone keep assuming I care about Elena?" Damon asked, tossing a pair of jeans into his suitcase and slamming the drawer shut before whirling to face Zack. "I do not _give a shit _about Elena fucking Gilbert! I never have, and I never will. She was always just a pawn in my game, just like everyone else. A pawn in my game to winning Katherine back, which, in case you haven't put two and two together by now, I _lost. _So shut your _goddamn mouth _before I shut it for you."

Damon was standing directly in front of Zack now, his blue eyes menacing. But the young Salvatore didn't seem to care. "I think you're lying," he said slowly, risking it. "I think that you're confused, Damon. You're confused because, after vowing over one hundred years ago that you would only ever love Katherine, you started to fall in love with someone else. Someone who treated you better than she did, someone who cared about you, someone who wanted you to be _good. _Someone who actually made _you _want to be good. You care about Elena, Damon; maybe more than you even think you care about Katherine. Those feelings you have for her now are going to haunt you for the rest of your life, because you'll have to go on living knowing that you gave up something that could have possibly been the best moments of your life."

Damon stood, silent, in front of Zack. He stood there for a solid five minutes before he finally spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "You think she's made me a better person, Zack?"

Zack hesitated before nodding slowly. "I think she could…"

"Well, guess what…" Damon said with his voice startlingly quiet. Before Zack could blink, Damon reached up and snapped his neck, watching him fall, dead, to his bedroom floor.

"_I'm not._"

… . … . … . … . … . …

Stefan heaved an exasperated sigh as he walked up the steps of the boarding house. He had gone home after dropping Caroline off at her house, assuring the obviously upset girl that everything with Elena and Damon would be fine; he'd handle it. He'd been the perfect gentleman, and then spent the rest of the night doing dirty work, trying to find his brother and stop him from making the biggest mistake in history. Of course, with his luck, he'd found nothing. His last stop had been Elena Gilbert's house. Chances of Damon showing up there had been slim, and he'd come up short, merely having his etiquette insulted by her. Now, all he wanted was to write about this devastating evening in his journal, and go the hell to bed.

"Zack?" he called when he entered the cavernous house, his voice echoing off the walls. No one responded to his call, and his brow furrowed. There was no way the man could still be sleeping. He was up at the crack of dawn every day, making sure everything in this place was in order.

He hadn't even left a note; Stefan came to find this when he checked in the kitchen, having assumed that perhaps his nephew had gone out for the morning. That didn't make sense, though; Zack had said he was going to stick around all day in case…

"Oh, no…" Stefan said, swallowing roughly.

_In case Damon and Katherine came back._

Blurring up the stairs, Stefan began darting in and out of rooms in search of any sign of life, and he gasped with horror when he flashed into his brother's room. "Zack…" he groaned miserably, falling to his knees beside the man's limp body. Upon closer examination, he came to the conclusion that his neck had been broken.

"I'm sorry…" he choked, pulling his head into his lap as regretful tears flooded his eyes. "I failed you. I promised I would stop Damon, keep your town safe… and now he's out of control. This is my fault…"

Zack Salvatore didn't respond. Never again would he respond to the brooding muses of the youngest brother.

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

Having nothing better to do with her miserable, lonely Saturday, Elena decided to follow through and watch _The Notebook. _It had begun to rain outside, matching her dismal mood perfectly. She was forced to look up when she heard a knock on the door, heaving a sigh as she paused the movie. Who the hell would be at the door in whether like this? Getting to her feet, she walked out into the hall and to the entry way, tugging it open. She came face to face with a strangely dressed, rather dirty young man with curly blonde hair and green eyes.

"Afternoon, ma'am," he said, bowing politely and Elena hiked an eyebrow at the display. Who the hell was this guy?

"Uhh… hi," she stated, not daring to move any closer to him.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but I got a problem. I have no sweet clue where I am."

"You're in Mystic Falls," Elena said slowly, slowly coming to the conclusion that this guy was crazy. He had a thick southern accent, and his clothes looked like he'd gotten lost on the way to some sort of convention. Heck; maybe that was exactly it. He could be one of those guys who refused to break character or something.

"Do you need to use the phone or something?" she asked, and the man gave her a look of confusion.

"The what?" he asked, and she sighed and shook her head. _Goofball… _

"Do you want to come inside and get someone to come and help you?"

His green eyes shining with what appeared to be gratitude the man nodded and took a step into the warm, dry house. "Much obliged, miss. I've been walking in circles for ages searchin' for someone to help me…"

"It's no problem, really," Elena said with a small laugh as she took the phone off of the charger on the table by the entrance to the living room. "It's just a pho-"

She gasped when the man suddenly grabbed her shoulders and yanked her roughly to him, his green eyes staring mesmerizingly down into hers.

"Don't scream," he said with a voice like velvet before sinking sharp fangs into Elena's neck. She made a small noise of complaint when he began feeding on her, and gasped when he was suddenly tossed off and the sound of primal snarling filled the air. Elena had to blink rapidly a few times to refocus her blurry vision, a hand clamped over her neck. Her eyes widened when she saw the shock of black hair blurring over to the crumpled vampire by the door, and it was merely seconds before the blonde had a makeshift stake driven through his heart, making Elena cry out with shock and stumble backward against the wall.

Hearing her cry out, Damon Salvatore's blue eyes locked with her brown hues, and he quickly moved to her side, moving her hand away from her neck.

"Let me see…"

He hissed with shock when her hand came in contact sharply with his cheek, snapping his head to the side. "What the hell was that for? I just saved your life!" he snapped, a taunting sense of déjà vu coming over him, reminding him of the night Elena had first discovered his secret.

"_That _was for letting Katherine out of the tomb, you ass!" she yelled, and Damon's scowl slipped slightly, his lips twitching with uncertainty.

"She… wasn't there," he mumbled, and the witty retort she'd had prepared fell limp on her tongue.

"What?"

"Katherine wasn't in the tomb," Damon said more clearly, stepping back and giving her space. "I went to get her out, got in… and she wasn't there. She probably never was."

Elena wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or terrified. "Oh…"

"It doesn't matter," Damon said quickly, his walls quickly flying up to mask any form of emotion about the subject. "I'm leaving town; I have no reason to be here anymore. My brother wants me gone, you want me gone. I came to say goodbye, if that makes any sense, and found _this _guy trying to…" Damon trailed off when his eyes fell once again on the wrinkled corpse by the door, taking a curious step forward. "Wait a second…"

Elena frowned, curiosity getting the better of her. "What?"

Damon simply shook his head and crouched down in front of the body, his eyes narrowing as he examined the features and shock of blonde hair. He could've sworn he recognized them from somewhere…

"_Hey, Salvatore! Are you gonna spend all day cartin' around your little brother, or are you gonna come drink with the real men?_"

"_Save my seat at the tavern, Jackson; have I ever got some stories for you boys!_"

"_Hell yeah! Just don't tell your rotten old father; wouldn't approve, the old stiff._"

"_As if I care what he thinks…_"

Damon flinched back as the memory flooded through his mind, his eyes widening, speaking to the dead man before him. "_You _were a vampire…?"

"Damon…?" Elena asked, taking a small step forward, growing extremely confused.

Slowly, realization began to dawn on Damon. He'd thrown Bonnie into a wall before she could complete the spell. He'd _tossed a full bag of blood _carelessly into a pit of desiccated vampires.

One of which was now sitting, dead, at his feet.

"_Fuck!_"

Elena jumped and stepped back when Damon quickly stood up, his eyes flashing with irritation and… worry? "What the hell is going on?" she cried, and he grabbed her jacket and tossed it at her.

"We have a problem. A _big _problem. As much as you hate me, I can guarantee I'm your best form of protection at the moment. So get your ass out that door and into my car. _Now, Elena…_"


End file.
